Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defence, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo he has that’s associated with white supremacist groups.
Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans in the January 6, 2021, attack and railed against the Pentagon’s 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’s January 2021 inauguration.
He’s said he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest.
READ MORE: CSIRO calls on Australians to track their flatulence
Pete Hegseth was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo he has that’s associated with white supremacist groups. (AP)
This week, however, a fellow Guard member who was the unit’s security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.”
If Pete Hegseth assumes office, it would mean that someone who has said it’s a sham that extremism is a problem in the military would oversee a sprawling department whose leadership reacted with alarm when people in tactical gear stormed up the US Capitol steps on January 6 in military-style stack formation.
He’s also shown support for members of the military accused of war crimes and criticised the military’s justice system.
