Because “humina humina humina” isn’t an effective response to your boss praising the patriotism of white nationalists, Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville’s office released a statement attempting to clarify.  Asked by a reporter Monday if white nationalists should be kept out of the military, Tuberville responded, “Well, they call them that. I call them Americans.”

“We are losing in the military so fast.  Our readiness in terms of recruitment. And why? I’ll tell you why, because the Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalists, people that don’t believe in our agenda, as Joe Biden’s agenda. They’re destroying it,” Tuberville told WBHM, a public radio station, during an interview without mentioning the attrition caused by a two-decade period of war started during the Cheney/Bush administration. “This year, we will not reach any recruiting goals in the military. So if we want to talk about looking weak, that’s where we’re going to look weak. We cannot start putting rules in there for one type, one group and make different factions in the military, because that is the most important institution in the United States of America, and our allies, is a strong, hard-nosed, killing machine, which is called our military.”

Tuberville’s office released the following statement Wednesday, according to AL.com, in an attempt to shovel the manure: “Sen. Tuberville’s quote that is cited shows that he was being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military. He believes the men and women in uniform are patriots. [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin seems to think otherwise, subjecting them to extremism training as his very first act in office. That cost us four million man hours.”