Nobody’s prefect! Republicans demand DEI out of ‘Miltary’ and miss typo in display at confirmation hearings
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Trump’s defense secretary nominee Pete Hesgeth told hearing it is ‘not a time for equity’. An AP photographer snapped a photo of a board sitting just behind Republican Senator Eric Schmitt and Republican Senator Ted Budd with the title "DEI in our Miltary.".
![[Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/14/19/SEI235951245.jpg)
That's right, "Miltary," not "Military.". The oversight was likely just a lack of quality control on the part of a senatorial staffer and hardly the most important issue of the hearing, which saw Democrats and Republicans in a tense back and forth over Hegseth's qualifications, values, and the various allegations surrounding his behavior.
![[Hegseth has previously claimed that one of his tattoos – a Jerusalem Cross – on his chest, prevented him from being included involved in security arrangements for Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/15/23/newFile-1.jpg)
During the hearing, Schmitt complained about DEI initiatives in the military, which he called "race essentialism," — essentially arguing that the military was more concerned about a member's race than their aptitude for service. “DEI is not about giving everybody opportunity,” Schmitt said. “It is rooted in cultural Marxism, the idea that gets the room, any room with oppressor versus oppressed. It’s race essentialism, and it is poison.”.
Hegseth agreed with Schmitt's take. “You have to tear out DEI and CRT initiatives root and branch from institutions,” Hegseth said. “Then you have to put in Army, Navy, and Air Force secretaries and others, civilian positions, at the helm who are committed to the same priorities that the president of the United States is, and if confirmed, the secretary of defense will be. Send a clear message that this is not a time for equity.”.
