U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is speaking out on the controversy regarding his recent comments during a Trump rally in Nevada.

After days of silence on the matter, Tuberville, R-Alabama, provided a statement to Alabama Daily News. The statement comes after the former Auburn football coach received heavy criticism after saying Democrats were in favor of “reparation” because they were “pro-crime.”

“They want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have,” Tuberville told the cheering crowd. “They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. Bullshit. They are not owed that.”

In his response, Tuberville said he was addressing the issue of crime and not race.

“The issue is crime, not race, but the liberal media is intent on helping Democrats remain in power,” Tuberville said via a spokesperson. “Crime has spiked nationwide under Democrats and their ‘Defund the Police’ policies, and I was pointing out the frustration many Americans share when I spoke last weekend.”

He added:

“Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and rioters have caused over $2 billion in damage to our cities since 2020. Illegal immigrants and drugs are streaming across our southern border in record numbers. Progressive prosecutors across the nation refuse to enforce laws they personally disagree with, and our communities are suffering because of it. Even Alabama Democrats want to satisfy the outrageous demands of murderers and rapists currently on work-strike in state prisons. Democrats favor criminals over the victims through their actions and policies.

“As a coach, building young people of character was one of my top priorities. As a Senator, I want to ensure that we create policies at the national level that reinforce values such as integrity and accountability. I will continue to fight for safer communities and accountability for criminals. Americans should not live in fear.”

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