Two far-left, pro-Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) veterans are behind allegations that Trump defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s tattoos are tied to white supremacy, according to public reports and information.
The bogus allegations stem back three years, when Hegseth, as a member of the DC National Guard, was tasked with supporting the 2021 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden with crowd control and protecting the parade routes. One day prior to the inauguration, he was told by his unit leadership to “stand down,” and that his orders had been revoked.
As Hegseth writes in his book, The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, a senior leader in his unit told him, “You were not brought to the inauguration because they dubbed you as an extremist. You got flagged by two soldiers who had been trolling your social media. They saw your tattoo. And the tattoo was what they flagged you on.”
When Hegseth asked which tattoo, he was told, “The cross on your chest was what they determined was what made you an extremist and domestic threat. That cross, it was determined, is a tattoo of a white nationalist extremist.”
Hegseth was shocked, as he wrote in his book:
“It’s a Jerusalem Cross! Did they even google it?!”
The Jerusalem Cross represents Christ’s sacrifice and the mission to spread his gospel to the four corners of the world. There is one large cross in the middle and four smaller crosses at each corner. This was part of the coat of arms after AD 1203 and the 104-year reign of the Jerusalem Kingdom. I got it after I saw it on a church while walking the streets of Jerusalem.
It’s a religious symbol, not a white nationalist symbol.
Reuters reported last week that one of those soldiers who reported him was now-retired Master Sergeant DeRicko Gaither, who was then the unit’s head of physical security. Gaither had sent the then-DC National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Walker an email with a photo of Hegseth’s tattoos.
Gaither’s email, published by the Associated Press, was a word salad accusing Hegseth of being a white supremacist. It said:
MG Walker Good evening Sir, as a member of the District of Columbia National Guard ATFP Team it’s my duty to provide you information regarding our service members. I received the attached information today from a former DC Guard member regarding MAJ Hegseth of the MAC and this information is quiet [sic] disturbing Sir. MAJ Hegseth has a tattoo of “Deus Vult” on his inner arm (bicep area). 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. Disseminated in the form of hashtags and internet memes, Deus Vult has enjoyed popularity with members of the alt-right because of its perceived representation of the clash of civilizations between the Christian West and the Islamic world, Crusader memes, such as an image of a Knight Templar accompanied by the caption “I’ll see your Jihad and raise you one crusade are popular on far-right internet pages. The motto is also used by nationalist groups in Europe and was portrayed on large banners during marches celebrating the Polish National Independence ay in 2017. According to AR 670-1 (3-3) states “The following types of tattoos or brands are prejudicial to good order and discipline and are, therefore, prohibited anywhere on a Soldier ‘s body: Extremist: Extremist tattoos or brands are those affiliated with, depicting, or symbolizing extremist philosophies, organizations, or activities. Extremist philosophies, Organizations, and activities are those which advocate racial gender or ethnic hatred or intolerance: advocate, create. or engage in ilegal discrimination based on race, color, gender, ethnicity, religion, or national origin: or advocate violence or other unlawful means of depriving individual rights under the U.S. Constitution, and Federal or State law. MG 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.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter Sir!
MSG DeRicko D. Gaither
According to Jerry Dunleavy, a former investigator for the House Republicans’ investigation into the Biden administration’s bungled Afghanistan withdrawal, parts of Gaither’s email were plagiarized from a 2018 article by an “extreme leftwing professor” who identifies herself as a “intersectional feminist”:
Gaither, who is black, has a podcast where he has only featured black guests and used the hashtag #BlackAuthor when promoting his wife’s children’s book on Instagram. He also recently liked a post on LinkedIn congratulating the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office’s “FIRST all female armed detention officer graduating class,” whose members also happen to all be black.
Despite his seeming discrimination against non-black people, his email claiming Hegseth’s tattoos were associated with white supremacy was enough to convince the D.C. National Guard commander at that time, who is also black, to revoke Hegseth’s orders for the inauguration.
Now, Gaither’s email is being used to again suggest Hegseth is a white supremacist.
But Gaither was not the originator of the smear. It was another pro-DEI veteran who is heavily involved in Democrat activism.
A Navy veteran named Travis Akers, who was still serving at the time, first tweeted out the photo of Hegseth’s tattoos, which was forwarded to Gaither, according to the Washington Post.
Akers deleted his tweet but not before it was captured:
Pete Hegseth celebrates Independence Day on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ on July 04, 2021 in New York City (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images).
Akers has been openly involved in Democrat politics since his retirement from the military in June 2023. He co-founded a pro-gun reform group called Left of Bang along with other far-left veterans that included Fred Wellman, the former executive director of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project.
Akers is also on the board of directors of DemCast, which states its mission is “to cultivate, amplify & maximize the impact of grassroots digital media, bolstering blue electoral and policy victories at all levels of government, across America.”
He campaigned for Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris, participating in an event with other far-left veterans, including Wellman, disgraced Navy veteran Malcolm Nance, Army Gen. (Ret.) Tammy Smith, Army veteran Naveed Shah, and Army military spouse Rebekah Sanderlin. Sanderlin has attacked conservative troops and veterans despite being affiliated with the non-partisan United Service Organization (USO), which is supposed to serve troops regardless of political beliefs.
Akers listed on his LinkedIn account a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida, issued in April 2024.
In 2024, he ran unsuccessfully for a school board in Duval County Public Schools to represent District 7 in northern Florida, and withdrew before his first public debate. During his campaign, he espoused support for “equity” and “inclusivity”– two major tenets of DEI.
Akers also serves as an adviser for the Jacksonville Urban League, whose mission is to “enable African Americans as well as other underserved communities to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.”
While Akers has called for “transcend[ing] the bitterness,” he has frequently launched personal attacks against strangers on social media.
He then frequently deletes those personal attacks to erase the trail and has changed his social media handle on X several times.
He also has a history of threatening to doxx social media users.
On July 18, 2024, he taunted a user: “Uh oh. Looks like little Timmy clicked on a linked [sic] that captures an IP address and geolocated the device. It’s going to be an interesting Monday morning for little Timmy.” He deleted that tweet afterwards.
On May 6, 2024, he posted on X to another user, “You should use a VPN, your IP address shows your name.”
On June 1, 2024, he wrote about another user, “I’m holding on to the identity of Sandal for a rainy day. I can say this, it’s not the person we initially expected, but still someone known to the politically inclined of Jacksonville.”
On June 27, 2024, he posted, “Geolocating this image made unmasking this account easier than most. Thanks, ‘Catherine.'”
He then posted, “I didn’t doxx her. I let her know I know who she is. So if she wants to continue her behavior, that’s fine, but she now knows it’s not anonymous. Stand behind what you say when the mask is removed.”
Akers has written as recently as 2020 about his battle with alcoholism, lying to his wife about it, and being part of an anonymous group to deal with it.
Despite Akers’ checkered past and open activism for Democrats, his claims that Hegseth’s tattoos are linked to white supremacy have resurfaced as Hegseth prepares for his confirmation as Trump administration defense secretary.
Others who know Hegseth are coming to his defense, including Army veteran and former Trump administration official Earl Matthews, who is black and served with Hegseth in the DC National Guard.
Matthews called accusations that Hegseth is a white supremacist “patently absurd” and said Hegseth’s orders should not have been revoked. He posted recently on X:
Major Pete Hegseth was an exemplary officer during his tenure with the D.C. National Guard. He performed his assigned duties flawlessly, without limelight or fanfare and he always treated others with dignity and respect. What happened to him was wrong and he has a right to be upset. If I were him, I would be upset. The notion that Hegseth might have been a white supremacist or extremist was patently absurd on its face. Why would a white supremacist voluntarily join the D.C. National Guard which was disproportionately black and then commanded by two black general officers (both appointed by President Trump)? Hegseth served honorably in Lafayette Square during the BLM riots, just as he did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he was prepared to do the same during the Biden inauguration. He was an asset to our formation. I didn’t find out about this incident until after the fact and I believe the decision was made below the general officer level. It should not have happened.
Even unlikely voices are sticking up for Hegseth. The former press secretary for Jill Biden, Michael LaRosa, said those calling Hegseth a white supremacist are “turning the Democratic Party into a joke.”
“This shit has to stop. Opposing DEl initiatives does not make you a white supremacist,” he posted on X. “Voices like this on the left are turning the Democratic Party into a joke”:
Reuters reported Hegseth was never declared an extremist but that the Guard leadership “opted to err on the side of caution.”
While Hegseth writes in his book that he was prepared to do his duty at the inauguration despite his dislike of Biden, having his orders revoked led him to leave the Army.
“The feeling was mutual — I didn’t want this Army anymore either,” Hegseth wrote.
The current character assassination comes amid fears at the Pentagon that Hegseth will fire military leaders who pushed DEI.
The Trump transition team has already asked troop advocates and whistleblowers for names of senior military leaders who pushed DEI over other priorities during their commands.
Sources told Breitbart News that the Pentagon is “scrambling” and trying to wipe evidence of DEI off websites.
Already, there have been several reports appearing to try to save the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, whose term is not up until 2027. However, as the top military adviser to the president, the chairman serves at the president’s prerogative and can be replaced at any time.
As Air Force chief of staff, Brown advocated for more racial and gender diversity in the Air Force and Space Force and recorded a video in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death expressing sympathy for those participating in the racially charged protests in the summer of 2020 leading up to the election that year.
A recent report by the Washington Post claimed Brown “has sought to push back on the notion that he supports lowering standards, instead, underscoring his backing for merit-based advancement and highlighting his own drive to excel across any demographic group.”
However, Breitbart News was told that Brown’s name has been submitted to the Trump transition team for consideration of elimination, and he is widely expected to be replaced.
In addition, even before being nominated as defense secretary, Hegseth called in a recent interview for Brown to be replaced. He said on the Shawn Ryan Show, “First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Any general that was involved… in any of the DEI/woke shit has got to go”:
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, told Breitbart News in a statement:
President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has the necessary experience and qualifications to implement President Trump’s pro-America policies, and none of these left-wing media concocted falsehoods will work to stop that mission.
He added, “We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”
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