Pete Hegseth, who was picked this week by President-elect Donald Trump to be defense secretary, was once flagged by a fellow service member as an "insider threat" over a tattoo of a Christian motto that has been co-opted by white supremacy groups.
Retired Master Sgt. DeRicko Gaither, who was serving as the D.C. Army National Guard's physical security manager and on its anti-terrorism force protection team in January 2021, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent on Jan. 14, 2021, warning Army brass of Hegseth's "Deus Vult" tattoo on his inner arm, calling it "disturbing."
"Deus vult" is a Latin phrase meaning "God wills it." It was a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the 11th century.
Vice President-elect JD Vance accused the AP of "anti-Christian bigotry."
"They're attacking Pete Hegseth for having a Christian motto tattooed on his arm," Vance said in a post on X Friday. "This is disgusting anti-Christian bigotry from the AP, and the entire organization should be ashamed of itself."
Gaither wrote to Army leadership, "The phrase 'Deus Vult' is associated with Supremacist Groups in which White-Supremacist use of 'DeusVult' and a return to medieval Catholicism, is to invoke the myth of a white Christian (i.e., Catholic) medieval past that wishes to ignore the actual demographics and theological state of Catholicism today, let alone the doctrinal practices of contemporary Catholicism."
Hegseth has complained that he himself was labeled an extremist by the D.C. National Guard and said he was prevented from serving during Biden's inauguration.
"I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo by my National Guard unit in Washington, D.C., and my orders were revoked to guard the Biden inauguration,” Hegseth said on a podcast last week.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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