Steve Bannon and Sen. Tommy Tuberville Question Number of Women on Armed Services Committee, Sparking Backlash

Washington, D.C. – MAGA influencer Steve Bannon and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned why the Democratic Party has placed multiple women senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee, suggesting the appointments were politically motivated.

The comments came as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday. During the hearing, Tuberville accused Senate Democrats of orchestrating what he described as an unfair attack on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a prior Armed Services Committee session.

“You can tell Pete Hegseth, all orchestrated,” Tuberville remarked, implying that the questioning Hegseth faced had been pre-planned. Bannon took the criticism further, using the term “harridans”—a derogatory word for older women—to describe Democratic senators on the committee. He argued that these lawmakers treated Hegseth differently than Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who faced more policy-focused questioning.

“They’re tacking him on the personal foibles all day long,” Bannon said, defending Hegseth. “And it was mostly the ladies on the armed services that went after him personally.”

Bannon then turned to the composition of the committee, questioning the Democratic Party’s choice of female representation. “Why do the Democrats have nine women, it seemed like, on, why they have all the women in armed services?” he asked. “What is that about?”

Tuberville, appearing to acknowledge Bannon’s concern, responded, “I couldn’t tell you, but they do. They’ve got a lot more than we have.” Bannon pressed further: “Does that strike you as a little odd?” “Well, yeah,” Tuberville replied, before noting that at least two of the Democratic women on the committee—Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)—had military experience, reported NPR.

He went on to claim that the hearing was not about policy but a personal attack on Hegseth. “It was just a personal attack,” Tuberville said. “You know, they wanted to make a point of, can he do this job with all the personal problems that he has?”

Hegseth has faced controversy over allegations that he raped a woman while working as a Fox News host in 2017. He has denied the allegations, and law enforcement officials later stated that he was not prosecuted due to a lack of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

The remarks from Bannon and Tuberville sparked immediate criticism from Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups, who accused them of undermining the qualifications of women serving on the committee. Many pointed out that female senators have played a crucial role in shaping national security policy and advocating for military personnel.

While neither Bannon nor Tuberville elaborated on why they viewed the composition of the committee as problematic, their comments underscored ongoing partisan tensions over the role of women in government and national defense.