Tuberville campaign names the Airline Furries Association International as the group behind his claim
Tommy TubervilleU.S. senator and Republican nominee for Alabama governor, through campaign communications director Mallory Jaspers, in an email to Blaze News
Tuberville's campaign, through communications director Mallory Jaspers, told Blaze News that the Airline Furries Association International, while not affiliated with any airline and not an official union, is an online hub for people who work in the airline industry and are furries. Blaze News reported that her comments appeared to confirm the group is the one Tuberville had in mind.
“The Airline Furries Association International, while not affiliated with any airline and not an official union, is an online hub for people who work in the airline industry and are furries.”
Reporting
Other statements by Tommy Tuberville in this case
- Tuberville posts that there is an "ALARMING number" of "DERANGED" furries working in the airline industryEarlier: Defended or excused
- Tuberville asks whether readers would be comfortable with a "MENTALLY ILL FURRY being your pilot"Earlier: Defended or excused
- Tuberville tells TMZ DC that furry pilots "have a club" and that it is "some part of mental illness that could be a catastrophe"Earlier: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Is there evidence for Tommy Tuberville's claim that furries working in the airline industry are a flight-safety risk?
On September 22, 2026, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), the Republican nominee for Alabama governor, said in a Senate floor speech that "many airline pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community" and that the pilot of a commercial flight "could have a deranged fetish of dressing up like an animal." On September 24 he posted on X that there is "an ALARMING number of these DERANGED people working in our airline industry," attached NBC News video of two pilots meowing and barking on a radio frequency at Reagan National Airport in April, and pointed to an "Aviation Furs Meet-up" on a Minneapolis furry convention's schedule. He also told TMZ DC that some pilots, not all, are furries and that they have a club. The Montgomery Advertiser and Forbes report that he gave no source or data for the claim. Democratic nominee Doug Jones, Jimmy Kimmel, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and others criticized or mocked the remarks, and Lead Stories confirmed that C-SPAN2 video shows Tuberville making them.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Blaze News report on Sen. Tuberville's furry-pilot claim, published September 25, 2026, quoting a Minnesota Furs and Furry Migration official and the Tuberville campaign's communications director.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Tuberville's September 24 posts and Capitol interview restated his claim without naming a specific group. Blaze News reported that the Air Line Furries Association's website says its members work in aviation roles including pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and dispatch.
After the quotation
Blaze News reported that the group's website includes little other content and that its most recent website update and social media post both date to 2022.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether there is evidence for Tuberville's claim. Speaking for his campaign, Jaspers named the Airline Furries Association International as the group Tuberville had in mind and described it as a hub for airline workers who are furries, offering it as evidentiary support for his claim. That defends the claim rather than narrowing or disputing it, matching how his own restatements of the claim are labeled in this case.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Air Line Furries Association, International
More from this case
Read the full caseFurry Migration co-chair McHenry says treating furry pilots as a safety issue is unfair
“The furry pilots I know keep their personal interests separate from their work. They’re skilled professionals doing their jobs, Treating the furry fandom itself as a safety issue unfairly casts suspicion on qualified professionals without evidence. They deserve to be judged by how they do their jobs, just like anyone else.”Read statement
Sara Nelson says Tuberville is trying to "distract people from the real problems he helped create"
“Tuberville wants to focus on anything except the real problems facing the American public, starting with the skyrocketing cost of fuel. He could end the Iran War and protect the public from predatory AI, but instead he’s calling Care Bear “violent” to try to distract people from the real problems he helped create.”Read statement
AFA-CWA tells Tuberville it is "proud to be part of the furry community"
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
“Thanks for the shoutout, Senator Tuberville. We’re proud to be part of the furry community … OUR FURRY FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HELP KEEP OUR SKIES SAFE TOO.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Tuberville campaign names the Airline Furries Association International as the group behind his claim". First published: 2026-09-27. Last updated: 2026-09-27. https://disputeindex.com/events/3024-tuberville-s-campaign-through-communications-director-mallory-jaspers