National Security Council Strategic Communications coordinator John Kirby criticized U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s military holds Tuesday, calling the senator “wrong,” during a White House press briefing

Tuberville (R-Auburn) continues to place holds on Pentagon general and flag-officer promotions due to the Department of Defense’s decision to pay abortion-related expenses for servicemembers.

“First of all the senator is just wrong,” Kirby said. “It’s not an unlawful policy. It’s perfectly legal, perfectly keeping within the law.”

Tuberville believes the DoD abortion policy breaks the Hyde Amendment, which bans government-paid abortions, but Kirby rebutted that claim.

“It doesn’t,” he said. “They’ve done a legal scrub of this at the DoD. It’s just wrong. While I won’t speak for the Pentagon, I’m certainly not going to let a lie and falsehood live on. It’s not a violation of the law. It is a legal policy.

“All that they are doing is providing travel ability for female members of the military or their families stationed in a place where the laws are restricted. They can go get the reproductive care that they deserve, that they have every right to expect from the United States military.”

Kirby said if Tuberville has an issue with the policy, he should try to get something passed in Congress.

“If he wants to take that up in Congress and pass new legislation, then certainly that’s the writ of Congress,” he said. “But nothing that the Department of Defense or Secretary Austin is doing is unlawful. Nothing.”

When asked if the policy is threatening military readiness, Kirby shot back by saying that Tuberville’s holds are the real problem.

“Don’t talk to me about national security being impaired,” he said. “The one impairing national security is Senator Tuberville, not only because he’s depriving the military of necessary leadership in the field and at sea, but he’s also willing to deprive female members of the military, 20% of the force, from necessary healthcare. That … is a violation of national security.”

He then called on Tuberville to quit his holds.

“I can tell you how I’d like it to end,” he said. “I like to see, and I think I certainly speak for everybody in the administration, for Mr. Tuberville to lift his ridiculous hold.”

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee