Whether she’s on The View or CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Alyssa Farah Griffin is theoretically supposed to be the conservative perspective, but on the Tuesday edition of the former, she tried to claim there is a big difference between the Pentagon funding abortions and funding travel to obtain abortions.
Collins led Griffin by reporting, “The other person we heard from today was Senator Tuberville. You just heard him there. But he is also someone who is facing criticism when it comes to his hold on military nominations, and protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy. He said today, he's not budging on that.”
She also recalled, “I mean, we're hearing from the Secretaries of the Army, and the Navy, and the Air Force, who were speaking to Jake Tapper, earlier, saying that this is a national security risk in their view.”
CNN spent a good deal of Tuesday trying to portray the service secretaries as apolitical military types who just want what is best for the force, but have to battle against a partisan, culture warring Republican instead of political appointees who contributed to this standoff. Tapper even compared abortion, which isn’t a military policy, to the Iraq War, which was, to argue that Republicans are hypocrites because they would’ve opposed a blanket hold if had done the same during the Bush years.
As for Griffin, she too ignored the role the service secretaries, “It's a readiness crisis. It is a shame that for the first time, in over 100 years, the Marine Corps, for example, is without a permanent Commandant.”
She also claimed that, “I strongly support the Hyde Amendment, meaning taxpayer dollars should not fund abortion. That is not what this DOD policy does. It simply gives paid travel to people who may go and seek an abortion.”
Even if Griffin wants to claim that the Pentagon is not directly funding abortions, someone who is rolled out to offer the conservative perspective should at least be able to say it is indirectly funding them which is just a distinction without a difference.
As it was, Griffin continued, “I think it is a misreading of the policy by Senator Tuberville. And I think his Republican colleagues need to rally around him, and say ‘We, as Republicans, are the pro-military party. You are actually affecting national security readiness.’”
No, it is civilian leadership at the Pentagon and the White House and Democratic leadership in the Senate that is affecting national security readiness.
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Here is a transcript for the September 5 show:
CNN The Source with Kaitlan Collins
9/5/2023
9:46 PM ET
KAITLAN COLLINS: The other person we heard from today was Senator Tuberville. You just heard him there. But he is also someone who is facing criticism when it comes to his hold on military nominations, and protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy. He said today, he's not budging on that.
I mean, we're hearing from the Secretaries of the Army, and the Navy, and the Air Force, who were speaking to Jake Tapper, earlier, saying that this is a national security risk in their view.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: It's a readiness crisis. It is a shame that for the first time, in over 100 years, the Marine Corps, for example, is without a permanent Commandant.
Listen, I strongly support the Hyde Amendment, meaning taxpayer dollars should not fund abortion. That is not what this DOD policy does. It simply gives paid travel to people who may go and seek an abortion.
I think it is a misreading of the policy by Senator Tuberville. And I think his Republican colleagues need to rally around him, and say "We, as Republicans, are the pro-military party. You are actually affecting national security readiness."
