{"id":126728,"date":"2024-11-17T02:39:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T19:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=126728"},"modified":"2024-11-17T02:39:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T19:39:29","slug":"trumps-pentagon-pick-was-flagged-as-a-possible-insider-threat-in-the-national-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=126728","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Pentagon pick was flagged as a possible \u2018Insider Threat\u2019 in the National Guard"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host\u00a0nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible \u201cInsider Threat\u201d by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that\u2019s associated with white supremacist groups.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/how-hegseth-could-reshape-the-defense-department-under-trump\"><strong>WATCH:<\/strong> How Hegseth could reshape the Defense Department under Trump<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans in the\u00a0Jan. 6, 2021, attack\u00a0and railed against the Pentagon\u2019s subsequent efforts to address extremism in the ranks, has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden\u2019s January 2021 inauguration. He\u2019s said he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest.<\/p>\n<p>This week, however, a fellow Guard member who was the unit\u2019s security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25318699-hegseth-insider-threat-email\">an email<\/a>\u00a0he sent to the unit\u2019s leadership flagging a different tattoo reading \u201cDeus Vult\u201d that\u2019s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an \u201cInsider Threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Hegseth assumes office, it would mean that someone who has said it\u2019s a sham that extremism is a problem in the military would oversee a sprawling department whose leadership reacted with alarm when\u00a0people in tactical gear stormed up the U.S. Capitol\u00a0steps on Jan. 6 in military-style stack formation. He\u2019s also shown support for members of the military accused of war crimes and criticized the military\u2019s justice system.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth and the Trump transition team did not respond to emails seeking comment.<\/p>\n<p>As the AP reported in\u00a0an investigation published last month, more than 480 people with a military background were accused of ideologically driven extremist crimes from 2017 through 2023, including the more than 230 arrested in connection with the\u00a0Jan. 6 insurrection,\u00a0according to data collected and analyzed by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, at the University of Maryland. Though those numbers reflect a small fraction of those who have served honorably in the military \u2014 and Lloyd Austin, the current defense secretary, has said that extremism is not widespread in the U.S. military \u2014 AP\u2019s investigation found that plots involving people with military backgrounds were more likely to involve mass casualties.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">\u2018People who love our country\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Since Jan. 6, Hegseth, like many Trump supporters, has minimized both the riot\u2019s seriousness and the role of people with military training. Amid the widespread condemnation the day after the assault, Hegseth took a different approach. On a panel on Fox News, Hegseth portrayed the crowd as patriots, saying they \u201clove freedom\u201d and were \u201cpeople who love our country\u201d who had \u201cbeen re-awoken to the reality of what the left has done\u201d to their country.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 14 people convicted in the Capitol attack of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge resulting from Jan. 6, eight previously served in the military. While the majority of those with military backgrounds arrested after Jan. 6 were no longer serving, more than 20 were in the military at the time of the attack, according to START.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth wrote in his book \u201cThe War on Warriors,\u201d published earlier this year, that just \u201ca few\u201d or \u201ca handful\u201d of active-duty soldiers and reservists had been at the Capitol that day. He did not address the hundreds of military veterans who were arrested and charged.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has argued the Pentagon overreacted by taking steps to address extremism, and has taken leadership to task for the military\u2019s efforts to remove people it deemed white supremacists and violent extremists from the ranks. Hegseth has written that the problem is \u201cfake\u201d and \u201cmanufactured\u201d and characterized it as \u201cpeddling the lie of racism in the military.\u201d He said efforts to root extremism out had pushed \u201crank-and-file patriots out of their formations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica is less safe, and our generals simply do not care about the oath that they swore to uphold. The generals are too busy assessing how domestic \u2018extremists\u2019 wearing Carhartt jackets will usurp our \u2018democracy\u2019 with gate barriers or flagpoles,\u201d he wrote in \u201cThe War on Warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a segment on Fox News last year about\u00a0Jacob Chansley, a Navy veteran known as the \u201cQAnon Shaman\u201d who walked through the Capitol while wearing a horned fur hat, Hegseth played a misleading video clip from his then-colleague Tucker Carlson that sought to portray Chansley as a passive sightseer.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Chansley was among the first rioters to enter the building and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding in 2021. Chansley acknowledged using a bullhorn to rile up the mob, offering thanks in a prayer while in the Senate chamber for having the chance to get rid of traitors and writing a threatening note to Vice President Mike Pence saying, \u201cIt\u2019s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a message on Facebook Hegseth posted with an excerpt of the video, he wrote the way Chansley had been treated by the justice system \u201cis disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump, Chansley, and many more\u2026 the Left wants us all locked up,\u201d Hegseth wrote.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Support for convicted war criminals<\/h2>\n<p>Hegseth served for almost 20 years and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. He has two Bronze Stars. In speaking about his service and advocating for other service members and veterans, he has taken actions to support convicted war criminals and recently said he had told his platoon they could ignore directives limiting when they can shoot.<\/p>\n<p>In a podcast interview released earlier this month, Hegseth described getting a briefing from a military lawyer in 2005 in Baghdad on the rules of engagement. Hegseth said the lawyer told them they could not shoot someone carrying a rocket-propelled grenade unless it was pointed at them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember walking out of that briefing, pulling my platoon together and being like, \u2018Guys we\u2019re not doing that. You know, like if you see an enemy and they, you know, engage before he\u2019s able to point his weapon at you and shoot, we\u2019re going to have your back,\u2019\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll they do is take one incident and yell \u2018war criminal,\u2019\u201d he said, referring to The New York Times, the left and Democrats, adding, \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t we back these guys up even if they weren\u2019t perfect?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said he was proud of his role in securing pardons from Trump in 2019 for a former U.S. Army commando set to stand trial in the killing of a suspected Afghan bomb-maker, as well as a former Army lieutenant convicted of murder for ordering his men to fire upon three Afghans, killing two. At Hegseth\u2019s urging, Trump also ordered a promotion for\u00a0Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL convicted of posing with a dead Islamic State captive in Iraq.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Biden\u2019s inauguration<\/h2>\n<p>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\u2019s inauguration, a few weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, because of a cross tattoo on his chest. He said he decided to end his military service shortly after that in disgust.<\/p>\n<p>But a fellow Guard member who was working as a security officer ahead of the inauguration gave AP an email he sent that showed him raising concerns about a different tattoo.<\/p>\n<p>Retired Master Sgt. DeRicko Gaither, who was serving as the D.C. Army National Guard\u2019s physical security manager and on its anti-terrorism force protection team in January 2021, told the AP that he received an email from a former D.C. Guard member that included a screenshot of a social media post that included two photos showing several of Hegseth\u2019s tattoos.<\/p>\n<p>Gaither told AP he researched the tattoos \u2014 including one of a Jerusalem Cross and the context of the words\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/petehegseth\/p\/CAYcBE8lYJV\/?hl=en\">\u201cDeus Vult,\u201d Latin for \u201cGod wills it,\u201d on his bicep<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and determined they had sufficient connection to extremist groups to elevate the email to his commanding officers.<\/p>\n<p>Several of Hegseth\u2019s tattoos are associated with an expression of religious faith, according to Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, but they have also been adopted by some far right groups and violent extremists. Their meaning depends on context, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Former Navy intelligence officer Travis Akers was the person who initially saw the photos on a group chat, then researched them and decided to post the photos to social media. Those images were then seen by the former member of the D.C. National Guard, who sent them in an anonymous email to Gaither.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was just quite concerning to see that on a service member\u2019s body, but even more concerning now that a person who chose to bear those symbols is being nominated to lead the most powerful, nuclear military in the world,\u201d Akers told the AP in a phone interview Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Some extremists invoke their association with the Christian crusades to express anti-Muslim sentiment. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/symbols.globalextremism.org\/details?recordId=recJCZMz0qO4eo1MZ\">Global Project Against Hate and Extremism<\/a>\u00a0notes that in 2023 the words were in the notebooks of the Allen, Texas, shooter Mauricio Garcia. Anders Breivik, a right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in 2011, had similar markings in his manifesto.<\/p>\n<p>In an email Gaither sent on Jan. 14, 2021, which he provided to the AP, he raised concerns about Hegseth, a major at the time, and mentioned only the \u201cDeus Vult\u201d tattoo. In the email addressed to then-Maj. Gen. William Walker, who was commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, Gauther raised concern that the phrase was associated with white supremacists who invoke the idea of a white Christian medieval past as well as the Christian crusades.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMG Walker, Sir, with the information provided this falls along the line of Insider Threat and this is what we as members of the U.S. Army, District of Columbia National Guard and the Anti-Terrorism\/Force Protection Team strive to prevent,\u201d Gaither wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said, \u2019you guys need to take a look at this,\u2019\u201d Gaither said in a phone interview with the AP on Thursday. \u201cI later received an email that he was told to stay away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s inauguration took place just two weeks after the insurrection, and the Army was taking no chances. More than 25,000 Guard members were pouring into the city and each was going through additional vetting, depending on how close they were going to be to Biden.<\/p>\n<p>A total of 12 National Guard members were told to stay home, former Pentagon press secretary Jonathan Hoffman told reporters in a briefing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Transcripts\/Transcript\/Article\/2476514\/senior-dod-officials-brief-reporters-on-inauguration-activities\/\">a day before the inauguration.<\/a>\u00a0At least two were flagged due to potential extremism concerns; the rest were due to other background check issues that were identified as concerning by either the Army, FBI or Secret Service. It was not clear whether Hegseth was among the 12 Hoffman referenced at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has also speculated in podcast interviews that he was asked to stand down because of his political views, his role as a journalist covering Jan. 6 or because he works for Fox News.<\/p>\n<p><em>Smith reported from Providence, R.I., and Dearen reported from Los Angeles.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trumps-pentagon-pick-was-flagged-as-a-possible-insider-threat-in-the-national-guard\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host\u00a0nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible \u201cInsider Threat\u201d &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=126728\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}