Pete Hegseth’s co-hosts on “Fox & Friends Weekend” defended his character after Sherillyn Ifill, a former NAACP Legal Defense Fund president, declared the Secretary of Defense nominee was a “white supremacist.”
“If he was a white supremacist, I think we’d know and I hope that he has the time, which I’m sure he doesn’t because he’s preparing for his hearings and everything before the Senate, that woman deserves to be sued. That is defamation,” Rachel Campos-Duffy said.
Her fellow host Will Cain adamantly agreed.
“This is one of the people who I feel like I know best in my life who I would vouch for their character. That being said, we do know him best [...],” Cain stated.
“That ridiculous opinion is based upon what she accuses him of being against: DEI [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion]. So merit is now racist is what she’s suggesting,” he added.
Cain also addressed concerns about one of Hegseth’s tattoos which was flagged by a fellow National Guard member in the anti-terrorism unit. It reads ”Deus vult,” a term that Cain said means “God wills it.”
The complaint resulted in Hegseth’s removal from duty at President Biden’s inauguration.
“It’s been used by white supremacists concerned it was an indication of an insider threat. This is a saying, by the way. It goes back to 1096,” he argued. “I mean, I read the email. It’s one man’s internet rabbit hole theory.”
Cain described the resurfacing of the issue as “desperate” while Hegseth’s fill-in, Joey Jones, said the effort was spurred by Democrats.
“The Democrat Party would have you believe that serving in the military is some sort of indicator that you are, you know, alt-right, far-right, that you hate the country because you hate the idea of DEI, which attacks the meritocracy of the military,” Jones stated.
“The one thing I do know about Pete Hegseth is if he’s confirmed as Secretary of Defense, he will not seek retribution with his National Guard unit or with that person. He’ll treat everyone the exact same and give them all an opportunity to be the best fighting force our country’s ever seen.”
Lawmakers have questioned Hegseth’s ability to get confirmed, citing his little experience in military leadership and a previous sexual assault allegation.
Trump has not recalled his nomination or publicly addressed the backlash.
