Critz defends no vote on 'Don't ask, don't tell'

Rep. Mark Critz's (D-Pa.) office on Friday defended the congressman's vote against legislation that would repeal the Pentagon's "Don't ask, don't tell" after he initially expressed support for a repeal two weeks ago.

Critz spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said in a statement that Critz voted against the amendment for lifting the ban on gays openly serving in the military because he wants to wait for the results of the Defense Department's ongoing study of how a repeal would be implemented.

Critz believes that "[p]assing a law before the Defense Department completes the study would be putting the cart before the horse and that we should wait until December, when the study is complete, to review and act upon the findings," Mazonkey said.

The congressman had backed repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" in a debate against Tim Burns, his GOP opponent in the 12th District special election to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.). Critz said at the time he would defer to Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who favors a repeal and reportedly favored the passage of the House amendment that passed Thursday night.

The amendment to the fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill passed 234-194 on a mostly party-line vote. Critz, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, joined 25 other Democrats and 168 Republicans in opposing the amendment, while 229 Democrats and five Republicans voted in favor. Once the authorization bill becomes law, the repeal would take effect only if the president and top defense officials find that lifting the ban wouldn't jeopardize the military's fighting readiness and retention.

Running in a district where President Barack Obama's approval numbers are low, Critz campaigned in opposition to some of Obama's policies, including healthcare reform and climate change.

Meanwhile, Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), who is running for governor, missed the vote on Thursday night.

In a statement to The Hill, Davis' spokeswoman, Addie Whisenant, said he would have voted "no" on the amendment "because he believes the Pentagon should be allowed to resolve the issue without congressional intervention."

Davis faces a primary for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination Tuesday against Ron Sparks, chairman of Alabama's Department of Agriculture and Industries. If he were elected, Davis would be the first African-American governor of Alabama.

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