An official Twitter account of the U.S. Marines has apologized for tweets lacking 'professionalism' after calling Fox News host Tucker Carlson a 'boomer' and hitting out at other critics in a debate over pregnant service members.
Carlson last week mocked President Joe Biden for touting the Air Force's new maternity flight suits. The Fox News host said the military's emphasis on gender parity 'made a mockery of the U.S. military.'
But the II Marine Expeditionary Force were forced to issue an apology after being blasted over their response to the Fox News host.
'We are human and we messed up. We intended to speak up for female Marines and it was an effort to support them,' the force wrote in a tweet on Saturday.
'They are a crucial part to our corps and we need them to know that. We will adjust fire and ensure the utmost professionalism in our tweets,' the apology continued.
Senator Ted Cruz had slammed the Marines for 'launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions.' The Texas Republican has demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the Marines, General David H. Berger, to discuss the issue.
An official Twitter account of the U.S. Marines has apologized for tweets lacking 'professionalism' after calling Fox News host Tucker Carlson (above) a 'boomer'
Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, singled out the II MEF tweets in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemning the military's response to Carlson's criticism
Military officials from all service branches took to social media slamming Tucker's remarks about female personnel, and a Pentagon spokesman said that Carlson had 'essentially demeaned the entire US military'.
Amid the furor, II MEF had tweeted at Carlson: 'Get right before you get left, boomer.'
Carlson, who was born in 1969, would be considered a member of Generation X, the cohort that followed the Baby Boomers.
Lieutenant General Brian D. Beaudreault commands the II MEF
When a Twitter user responded to the remark saying, 'Please focus on China and not Tucker Carlson,' the Marine account replied mockingly: 'Come back when you've served and been pregnant.'
II MEF deleted the tweets and issued the apology after KTTV reporter Bill Melugin remarked: 'Pretty wild to see this tweet from an official US military account...'
Individual Marines are prohibited from engaging in 'partisan political activity' on social media, which the DoD defines as as 'activity supporting or relating to candidates representing, or issues specifically identified with, national or State political parties and associated or ancillary organizations.'
The debate over Carlson's remarks seems to be a grey area in the policy. Although Carlson was criticizing Democrats in his comments, many service members seemed to take it as a personal affront to female troops, and felt justified in responding online.
However, longstanding tradition dictates that the U.S. military remain apolitical, and Marine leaders may have felt the II MEF tweets went over the line.
The tweets from II MEF, which represents a third of the Marines fighting force, drew condemnation from Senator Cruz, who singled out the 'ostentatiously childish and simply outrageous' remarks in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
'This spectacle risks politicizing the military after several centuries of efforts to keep military officials out of domestic affairs, undermining civil-military relations by having the military take a side in a contentious cultural dispute, and the perception that military leaders are happily weaponizing the institution against political critics of the sitting administration,' Cruz wrote in the letter.
'This kind of behavior, while perhaps typical in a military-controlled Third World country, is completely unacceptable in the United States of America,' he added.
The letter dated Sunday took the Pentagon to task for its 'politicized' response to Carlson
Cruz continued: 'I am deeply troubled that the commitments you made, and the military's broader obligation to avoid political endorsements and controversy, are being systematically undermined for the sake of leftwing ideology and political expediency'.
Carlson has been unapologetic over his remarks, mocking the 'woke generals' who criticized him as inept and unable to defeat the Taliban.
'We were almost rattled. Then we realized if the woke generals treat us like they've treated the Taliban, we'll be fine. Twenty years later, the Taliban are still here,' Carlson said on his Fox News show on Friday night.
'Maybe we ought to promise the Pentagon that we'll get rid of traditional gender roles on this show. Change the pronouns, defeat the patriarchy, and all that. Then they'd send us millions in unmarked $100 bills as a reward,' he added.
Carlson outraged senior military officials and veterans with his remarks last Tuesday.
'So we've got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It's a mockery of the U.S. military,' Carlson had said.
'While China's military becomes more masculine as it has assembled the world's largest navy, our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore, since men and women no longer exist,' he added.
'Again, this is a mockery of the U.S. military and its core mission, which is winning wars,' said Carlson.
Expectant mother and Air Force Capt. Beatrice Horne with the 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron helps the Air Force test out a new maternity flight suit in January
Army chiefs mounted a quick defense in response to Carlson's comments including the most senior enlisted member of the Army, Sergeant Major Michael Grinston
Military leaders were quick to mount a defense of women in their ranks including the Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston
On Thursday Carlson doubled down on his stance.
'Maybe pregnant women make the best pilots,' he said.
'As the Department of Defense measures everything, there's got to be extensive research on this question.
'If the Pentagon can show pregnant pilots are the best, we will be the first to demand an entire air force of pregnant pilots.'
Military leaders were quick to mount a defense of women in their ranks.
'Women lead our most lethal units with character,' tweeted Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston.
'They will dominate ANY future battlefield we're called to fight on. @TuckerCarlson's words are divisive, don't reflect our values. We have THE MOST professional, educated, agile, and strongest [noncommissioned officer] Corps in the world.'
'Anyone willing to put on the bomb suit is welcome on my team,' he later tweeted.
'Women are an integral part of our force. We could not complete the mission without them,' tweeted Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General Joseph Martin.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby relayed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's 'revulsion' at Carlson's remarks.
'I would hope that in the reaction he's seeing, and hopefully in our reaction here today, that he'll realize the mistake he made and express some regret about the manner in which he essentially demeaned the entire U.S. military, and how we defend and how we serve this country,' he said.
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