MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Sunday criticized Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for being more concerned about a moment in the new “Barbie” movie than about Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) blocking of military promotions.
Tuberville is preventing promotions from advancing in the Senate, leaving the Marine Corps without a confirmed leader. This is in protest at the Pentagon’s offer of assistance to service members who receive an abortion in another state.
However, Cruz and other Republicans seem to be more focused on the “really important question” of whether Barbie is communist. This is in reference to a fake map in the film that appeared to endorse China’s claims to parts of the South China Sea, according to Psaki, who previously served as Biden White House press secretary.
Psaki argued, “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.”
In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Film Group clarified that the map was “not intended to make any type of statement.”
“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” they explained. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’”