Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday slammed Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), accusing the two lawmakers of prioritizing their beef with the “Barbie” movie over Tuberville’s military holds.
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During her MSNBC show “Inside With Jen Psaki,” Psaki lashed into Tuberville and Cruz for their continued criticism of the upcoming movie while Tuberville has put the military’s key promotions on hold in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy. Tuberville and Cruz have specifically taken issue with a fake map featured in the movie, which they argue shows the controversial nine-dash line indicating the territorial claims of the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.
“Here’s a really important question that many of them seem to be making time to explore: Is ‘Barbie’ communist?” Psaki said of Republican lawmakers.
In the meantime, Tuberville’s ongoing protests have blocked more than 250 military promotions and nominations in the Senate, and have left the U.S. Marines without a confirmed leader.
“No military leader out there is going to tell you they’re more worried about a cartoon map in a movie about a doll than about having qualified members of the military in a position to lead their troops,” Psaki said.
She added, “Apparently, according to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Barbie’s alleged communism […] is more offensive than the actions of his colleague, Tommy Tuberville,” Psaki added.
In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Film Group dismissed claims about the movie’s map.
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“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” the spokesperson said, adding, “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”
Vietnam has banned the film over the map, while the Philippines has permitted it to be screened.
