Specialists Slam Fox Information for Wrongly Attacking VP Harris for ‘Repeatedly Failing to Salute Army’

Fox News takes fire from military experts after conservative media company and some of its strongest allies attack Vice President Kamala Harris for non-saluting members of the U.S. military. As experts have stated, Harris is not a member of the military or chain of command and it would be inappropriate for them to do so. This would also signal a weakening of civilian control.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has been criticized for apparently breaking precedents and not welcoming the honor guard as she boarded Air Force Two,” Fox News’ Evie Fordham wrote in an online article Tuesday. “The Fox News-verified video showed that their predecessors, former Vice President Mike Pence and President Biden, regularly greeted the Honor Guard in the same situation.”

Tom Nichols, a professor at US Naval War College who was a former fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, slammed Fox News and said it was “wrong” for her to salute and they know she was is wrong.

The Commander in Chief responds out of courtesy (a practice started by Reagan), but the Vice President is a civilian out of the chain of command. It would be wrong for them to greet anyone, and @FoxNews knows it.
If other TPs did it, it was wrong. https://t.co/62tcIOK5c3

– Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 24, 2021

You know what makes it worse.

– Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 24, 2021

Task & Purpose, a military news site, reported on the “conflict” to Fox News and concluded, “It is not necessary for the President or Vice President of the United States to return a greeting.”

But a veteran speaking to The Chicago Tribune in 2015 went further.

“In the military, saluting is part of the ceremony and is very precise. If you’re not wearing a uniform, you can’t say hello, ”said Eric Potter, a 32-year military veteran.

“Saluting soldiers is not a recommended method of honoring current or former members of the armed forces,” wrote the editorial staff of Aircraft Compare. “Even members of the armed forces don’t say hello if they’re not wearing a uniform. A salute is part of the official protocols that active soldiers follow. Outside of official duties, the military salute is rarely shown. “

In the meantime, Fox News host Sean Hannity “reported” on the “scandal” on his own website:

WATCH: Kamala Harris does not greet members of the military as they board Air Force Two https://t.co/9ts8sk4ch7

– Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) March 23, 2021

Former NYC “top cop” and convicted criminal Bernie Kerik, who served in the US Army and should know better, called “not shameful”.

DISGRACEFUL: @VP Kamala Harris refuses to greet the honor guard on the steps of the plane. It is clear evidence of their aversion to uniformed men, both by law enforcement agencies and members of the military. pic.twitter.com/7QFHzamnt7

– Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) March 23, 2021

Jonathan Ladd, Associate Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and the Department of Government, stated that Fox News is wrong:

No president (or vice president) greeted the military before Reagan. Don’t grant. Not Ike. Nobody. The president is a civilian. An actor who did not serve overseas during World War II but had a flair for showmanship, Reagan created the theatrical gesture. https://t.co/aHnyJvToNj

– Jonathan Ladd (@jonmladd) March 24, 2021

As did Military.com convention reporter Steve Beynon:

The vice president is out of the chain of command and even the president who salutes is technically not a thing and something that was passed relatively recently. https://t.co/k4BPXVKoVE

– Steve Beynon (@StevenBeynon) March 23, 2021