Experts slam Fox News for wrongly attacking VP Harris for ‘repeatedly failing to salute military’
Fox News is taking fire from military experts after the conservative media outlet and some of its strongest allies attacked Vice President Kamala Harris for not saluting members of the U.S. Military. As experts explained, Harris is not a member of the military nor in the chain of command, and it would be inappropriate for her to do so. It would also signal a weakening of civilian control.
"Vice President Kamala Harris is facing criticism for appearing to break with precedent and failing to salute the honor guard when boarding Air Force Two," Fox News' Evie Fordham wrote in an online article on Tuesday. "Video reviewed by Fox News showed that her predecessors, former Vice President Mike Pence and President Biden, regularly saluted the honor guard in the same situation."
Tom Nichols, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College who formerly was a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, slammed Fox News, saying it would be "incorrect" for her to salute, and they know they're wrong.
The Commander in Chief returns salutes as a matter of courtesy (a practice started by Reagan), but the VP is a civilian who is not in the chain of command. It would be incorrect for her to salute anyone, and @FoxNews knows this. If other VPs did it, it was incorrect. https://t.co/62tcIOK5c3
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 24, 2021
They know, which is what makes it worse.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 24, 2021
Task & Purpose, a military news site reported on the "conflict" before Fox News did, concluding, "there is no requirement that the President or Vice President of the United States return a salute."
But a veteran speaking to The Chicago Tribune back in 2015 went even further.
"In the military, saluting is a part of ceremony and it's very prescriptive. If you're not in uniform, you can't salute," Eric Potter, a 32-year veteran of the military said.
"Saluting soldiers is not a recommended way to honor current or former members of the Armed Forces," the editorial team at Aircraft Compare wrote. "Even members of the Armed Forces do not salute when out of uniform. A salute is part of the official protocols that active soldiers follow. Outside official duties, the military salute is rarely displayed."
Meanwhile, Fox News host Sean Hannity "reported" on the "scandal" on his own site:
WATCH: Kamala Harris Does Not Salute Members of the Military When Boarding Air Force Two https://t.co/9ts8sk4ch7
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) March 23, 2021
Former NYC "top cop," and convicted felon Bernie Kerik, who served in the U.S. Army and should know better, called not saluting "disgraceful."
DISGRACEFUL: @VP Kamala Harris refuses to salute the honor guard at the steps of the aircraft. It is a clear demonstration of her dislike for those in uniform, both law-enforcement and military. pic.twitter.com/7QFHzamnt7
— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) March 23, 2021
Jonathan Ladd, associate professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and the Department of Government joined in noting Fox News is wrong:
No president (or vice president) saluted the military before Reagan. Not Grant. Not Ike. Nobody. The president's a civilian. Reagan was an actor who didn't serve overseas in WW2, but with a flair for showmanship, and created the theatrical gesture. https://t.co/aHnyJvToNj
— Jonathan Ladd (@jonmladd) March 24, 2021
As did Military.com congressional reporter Steve Beynon:
The VP is not in the chain of command and even the president saluting isn't technically a thing and something adopted relatively recently. https://t.co/k4BPXVKoVE
— Steve Beynon (@StevenBeynon) March 23, 2021