Vice President-Elect Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) slammed the Associated Press on Friday for a hit piece against President-Elect Donald Trump’s Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, who he called an “Insider Threat” because of his Christianity. – theme tattoo. Best-selling author and Fox News host Hegseth, 44, is an Army National Guard officer for nearly 20 years who fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, rising to the rank of Major while earning two Bronze Stars. Vance, 40, is a Marine veteran of the Iraq war.
The AP tried to put Hegseth as a possibility of white supremacy in an article about how he was banned from the National Guard service during the inauguration of Joe Biden in January 2021 after being reported by another service member for having an extremist tattoo: One of the Jerusalem Cross. and others who said, “Deus Vult,” (God will it.) At the time, the anti-Trump Pentagon began to root out conservatives from the service in the wake of the January 6 riots in the Capitol by labeling it “Threat Insider.”
Hegseth has spoken and written about the incident and posted a photo of the tattoo:
Pete Hegseth was labeled an extremist for having a cross tattooed on his chest by his own unit. Full episode released today at 12:30pm CST. @PeteHegseth pic.twitter.com/5suhIG4hSE
– Shawn Ryan Show (@ShawnRyanShow) November 7, 2024
AP Pentagon reporter Tara Copp submitted her article to X with the caption, “Pete Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host who was nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by another service member because of his tattoos which is associated with white supremacy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host who was nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Defense Department, has been labeled an “Insider Threat” by other service members because of a related tattoo. with white supremacy…
– Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) November 15, 2024
Vance responded, posting, “He attacked Pete Hegseth for having a Christian tattoo on his arm. This is a disgusting anti-Christian bigot from the AP, and the whole organization should be ashamed of itself.
He attacked Pete Hegseth for having a Christian tattoo on his arm. This is disgusting anti-Christian bigotry from the AP, and the entire organization should be ashamed of itself. https://t.co/tQxuD3RPlx
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 15, 2024
Hegseth responded to Vance by vowing to end anti-Christian bigotry in the military, “Amen @JDVance. Anti-Christian bigotry in the media on full display. They can target me – I don’t care – but the type of targeting Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday America will stop on DAY ONE at DJT’s DoD.
Amen @JDVance. Anti-Christian bigotry in the media on full display.
They can target me – I don’t care – but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at DJT’s DoD. https://t.co/TCZVWsxEAS
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 15, 2024
Excerpt from the AP article:
Pete Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host who was nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was labeled an “Insider Threat” by other service members because of a tattoo on his bicep associated with white supremacist groups. .
Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans on January 6, 2021, attacked and attacked the Pentagon’s subsequent efforts to deal with extremism in its ranks, saying that he was pulled by a National Guard unit of the District of Columbia from guarding. Joe Biden Inauguration January 2021. He says he is not known as an extremist because of the cross tattoo on his chest.
But this week, another Guardsman who was the unit’s security manager and on the anti-terrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leader with a different “Deus Vult” tattoo written on it. used by white supremacists, concerned that this is an indication of the “Insider Threat.”
If Hegseth assumes office, it means that the person who has said it is false that extremism is a problem in the military will oversee the sprawling department whose leadership was issued with an alarm when people in tactical gear stormed up the steps of the US Capitol on January 6. military style pile formation. He also showed support for members of the military accused of war crimes and criticized the military justice system.
Email in question:
This January 2021 email from Hegseth’s National Guard security manager is a must read – a jumbled word salad stupidly trying to tie Hegseth to white supremacy because of his “Deus Vult” tattoo. This is a Catholic motto from 1,000 years ago and means “God willing.” That’s it. https://t.co/WOYFj9M0Ne pic.twitter.com/i7P9ajp3Pn
– Jerry Dunleavy IV (@JerryDunleavy) November 15, 2024
In the end Hegseth was not arrested for tattooing the preamble to the Constitution (that we know of):
Hegseth drew national attention for his tattoo during the Navy SEAL Swim across the Hudson River in 2023 with Fox co-host Will Cain:
‘GLORY TO GOD’: ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-hosts Will Cain and Pete Hegseth join 70 others for the 2023 NYC Navy SEAL Swim across the Hudson River. https://t.co/HeFicJ7bXM pic.twitter.com/yTeduH2WtW
– Fox News (@FoxNews) August 20, 2023
The Trump campaign went to bat for Hegseth on Saturday night: “MEET @PeteHegseth: – 20+ year veteran with tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and guard at Gitmo – Two Bronze Stars; Combat Infantryman Badge – Two Ivy League degrees – Veteran Advocate – Secretary of Defense Next”
MEET @PeteHegseth:
– 20+ year veteran with tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and guarding at Gitmo
– Two bronze stars; Combat Infantryman Badge
– Two Ivy League titles
– Veteran Lawyer
– The Next Secretary of Defense pic.twitter.com/IFLe5RvNRh
– Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 16, 2024
