Former CIA director’s tweet suggests US senator should be removed from ‘the human race’

On October 9, former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden appeared to tweet that he wondered if Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) should be removed from the human race. He has since said he stands by the comment, though he claimed his words are being misconstrued.

Hayden’s tweet was in response to a previous tweet from a different X user, which asked, “Should Tommy Tuberville be removed from his committee?” Hayden retweeted this with the addition of his comment, “How about the human race?”

Since February, Tuberville has refused to grant his approval to the promotions of senior military officers, holding up the process for over 160 promotions among the highest-ranked and highest-paid military officers. His decision to do so is in response to a new policy issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) which allows military members and their dependents to take paid time off to undergo non-covered abortions, with their travel expenses covered if the abortion takes place out of state.

“This is about not forcing the taxpayers of this country to fund abortion,” Tuberville said in March. “You all got the American taxpayer on the hook to pay for travel and time off for elective abortions. And you did not make this with anybody in this room or Congress taking a vote.”

Tuberville continues to refuse approval of the promotions, prompting the tweet concerning whether he should be removed from the committee. Hayden’s response, “How about the human race?” elicited immediate concern.

“As many have taken to X to point out, the former head of the CIA and NSA is calling for the death of a sitting U.S. Senator by wondering if he should be removed from ‘the human race,'” said Townhall. “Within hours, the post had over 1,000 replies and over 250 quoted reposts.” It has now been retweeted 1,650 times with more than 4,000 comments and nearly 5,500 likes.

On October 10, the day after his tweet, Hayden tweeted again, claiming that what he meant was that Tuberville should not be “considered a member of the human race.” He wrote, “I was surprised to wake up this morning and discover that many MAGAnuts had lost their minds over my suggestion that ‘Coach’ Tuberville not be considered a member of the human race. I stand by that view. I’m wishing you all a nice day even the intransigent Tommy Tuberville.”

The senator’s office released a statement in the afternoon on October 10, indicating that it reported Hayden’s tweet to the U.S. Capitol Poice. The statement said in part, “This morning my office was made aware of a statement made by General Michael Hayden calling for a politically motivated assassination. This statement is disgusting and it is repugnant to everything we believe in as Americans. Given General Hayden’s long career in Washington, he must have known that, by making such a statement, he was committing a serious crime. His own efforts today to reinterpret what he said are only a tacit admission of guilt.”

Officials have claimed that the DoD policy covering abortion travel is necessary. In July, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also claimed abortion is “sacred” to military readiness.