WASHINGTON – Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to guide the Defense Department, has been flagged as a attainable “insider risk” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo he has related to white supremacist teams.
Hegseth, who downplayed the position of army members and veterans within the Jan. 6, 2021, assault and lashed out on the Pentagon’s subsequent efforts to handle extremism within the ranks, mentioned he was pulled from his National Guard unit of the District of Columbia from the guard service. Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. He mentioned he was unfairly recognized as an extremist due to a cross tattooed on his chest.
This week, nevertheless, a Guard member who was answerable for the unit’s safety on the time and was a part of a counterterrorism group, shared with The Associated Press an e-mail he despatched to the unit’s management reporting a special tattoo utilized by white supremacists, involved it was a sign of an “insider risk.”
If Hegseth took the job, it will imply that somebody who has mentioned it is a farce that extremism is an issue within the army would oversee a sprawling division whose management reacted with alarm when folks in tactical gear stormed the Capitol steps of the United States on January 6, 2019. army fashion stack formation. He additionally confirmed help for members of the army accused of battle crimes and criticized the army justice system.
Hegseth and the Trump transition group didn’t reply to emails searching for remark.
As the AP reported in an investigation printed final month, greater than 480 folks with army backgrounds had been charged with ideologically pushed extremist crimes from 2017 to 2023, together with greater than 230 arrested in reference to the Jan. 6 rebellion, in response to the info collected. and analyzed by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, on the University of Maryland. While these numbers mirror a small portion of those that served honorably within the army — and Lloyd Austin, the present protection secretary, has mentioned extremism just isn’t widespread within the U.S. army — the AP investigation discovered that plots involving folks with army backgrounds had been extra prone to contain mass casualties.
“People who love our nation”
Since January 6, Hegseth, like many Trump supporters, has downplayed each the severity of the riot and the position of individuals with army coaching. Amid widespread condemnation the day after the assault, Hegseth took a special method. In a panel on Fox News, Hegseth described the gang as patriots, saying they “love freedom” and are “individuals who love our nation” who’ve been “woke up to the fact of what the left has carried out” to their nation .
Of the 14 folks convicted within the Capitol assault of seditious conspiracy, probably the most critical cost stemming from Jan. 6, eight had beforehand served within the army. While the general public with army backgrounds arrested after January 6 had been not serving, greater than 20 had been within the army on the time of the assault, in response to START.
Hegseth wrote in his e-book “The War on Warriors,” printed earlier this yr, that solely “a couple of” or “a handful” of active-duty troopers and reservists had been on the Capitol that day. He didn’t handle the tons of of army veterans who’ve been arrested and charged.
Hegseth argued that the Pentagon overreacted by taking steps to handle extremism and took management to interact within the army’s efforts to take away from the ranks folks deemed white supremacists and violent extremists. Hegseth wrote that the problem is “false” and “manufactured” and characterised it as “spreading the lie of racism within the army.” He mentioned efforts to eradicate extremism have pushed “grassroots patriots out of their formations.”
“America is much less protected and our generals merely do not care in regards to the oath they’re sworn to uphold. The generals are too busy considering how home “extremists” sporting Carhartt jackets will usurp our “democracy” with obstacles or flagpoles,” he wrote in “The War on Warriors.”
In a phase on Fox News final yr about Jacob Chansley, a Navy veteran often called the “QAnon Shaman” who walked across the Capitol sporting a fur hat with horns, Hegseth performed a deceptive video clip of his then-colleague Tucker Carlson which sought to painting Chansley as a passive vacationer.
In truth, Chansley was among the many first rioters to enter the constructing and pleaded responsible to the cost of obstructing an official continuing in 2021. Chansley admitted to utilizing a megaphone to harass the gang, thanking in a prayer whereas he was within the Senate chamber for an opportunity to eliminate the traitors and write a threatening notice to Vice President Mike Pence saying, “It’s solely a matter of time. Justice is coming!”
In a Facebook message, Hegseth posted an excerpt of the video, writing that the best way Chansley was handled by the justice system “is disgusting.”
“Trump, Chansley and plenty of others… the left needs us all locked up,” Hegseth wrote.
Support for convicted battle criminals
Hegseth served for almost 20 years and was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. He has two Bronze Stars. Speaking about his service and advocating for different service members and veterans, he has taken actions to help convicted battle criminals and lately mentioned he advised his platoon they may ignore directives limiting after they can shoot.
In a podcast interview launched earlier this month, Hegseth described receiving a briefing from a army lawyer in 2005 in Baghdad on the principles of engagement. Hegseth mentioned the lawyer advised them they could not shoot somebody carrying a rocket-propelled grenade until it was pointed at them.
“I keep in mind strolling out of that briefing and getting my platoon collectively and pondering, ‘Guys, we’re not going to do that. You know, like if you happen to see an enemy and he, you already know, engages earlier than he can level his weapon at you and shoot, we’ll defend your again,’” Hegseth mentioned.
“All they do is take an accident and scream ‘battle prison,’” he mentioned, referring to the New York Times, the left and Democrats, including: “Why would not we help these guys even when they weren’t excellent?” ?”
He mentioned he was pleased with his position in securing a pardon from Trump in 2019 for a former U.S. Army commando set to face trial for the killing of a suspected Afghan bombmaker, in addition to a convicted former Army lieutenant for homicide for giving orders to his males to shoot three Afghans, killing two. At Hegseth’s urging, Trump additionally ordered a promotion for Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL convicted of posing with a lifeless Islamic State prisoner in Iraq.
Biden’s inauguration
Hegseth complained about being labeled an extremist by the D.C. National Guard and mentioned he was barred from serving throughout Biden’s inauguration, simply weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, due to a tattoo with a cross on his chest. He mentioned he determined to finish his army service shortly thereafter in disgust.
But a Guard member working as a safety guard earlier than the inauguration gave the AP an e-mail he had despatched exhibiting he was elevating issues a couple of totally different tattoo.
Retired Master Sergeant. DeRicko Gaither, who was serving because the D.C. Army National Guard’s bodily safety officer and on its counterterrorism power safety group in January 2021, advised the AP he obtained an e-mail from a former Guard member DC which included a screenshot of a social media put up that included two pictures exhibiting a number of of Hegseth’s tattoos.
Gaither advised the AP that he studied the tattoos — together with certainly one of a Jerusalem cross and the context of the phrases “Deus Vult,” Latin for “God wills it,” on his bicep — and decided they’d a enough connection to teams extremists to raise e-mail. to his commanders.
Many of Hegseth’s tattoos are related to an expression of non secular religion, in response to Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, however they’ve additionally been adopted by some far-right and violent extremist teams. Their which means is determined by the context, he mentioned.
Some extremists invoke their affiliation with Christian crusades to specific anti-Muslim sentiments. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism notes that in 2023, these phrases had been within the notebooks of Allen, Texas, shooter Mauricio Garcia. Anders Breivik, a right-wing extremist who killed 77 folks in 2011, had comparable references in his manifesto.
In an e-mail Gaither despatched on Jan. 14, 2021, which he offered to the AP, he raised issues about Hegseth, a serious on the time, and talked about solely the “Deus Vult” tattoo. In the e-mail to then-Maj. Gen. William Walker, who was commanding basic of the D.C. National Guard, Gauther expressed concern that the phrase was related to white supremacists who invoke the concept of a white Christian medieval previous in addition to the Christian crusades.
“MG Walker, sir, with the knowledge offered, this falls alongside the traces of insider risk and is what we, as members of the U.S. Army, the District of Columbia National Guard and the Counterterrorism/Force Protection Team, attempt to stop,” Gaither wrote.
“I mentioned, ‘You guys want to check out this,’” Gaither mentioned in a phone interview with the AP Thursday. “I later obtained an e-mail telling him to remain away.”
Biden’s inauguration came about simply two weeks after the rebellion, and the army did not need to take any possibilities. More than 25,000 Guard members had been pouring into the town, and every was subjected to further screening, relying on how shut they’d be to Biden.
A complete of 12 National Guard members have been advised to remain residence, former Pentagon press secretary Jonathan Hoffman advised reporters in a briefing the day earlier than the inauguration. At least two had been flagged for potential fears of extremism; the remaining had been resulting from different background examine points recognized as regarding by the Army, FBI, or Secret Service. It was unclear whether or not Hegseth was among the many 12 Hoffmans talked about on the time.
Hegseth has additionally speculated in podcast interviews that he was requested to resign due to his political beliefs, his position as a journalist masking January 6, or as a result of he works for Fox News.
Smith reported from Providence, R.I., and Dearen reported from Los Angeles.
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