Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, promoted a baseless conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
CNN reports that in a 2021 appearance on former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s podcast, Hegseth promoted the claim that the attackers were actually members of the leftist collective antifa disguised as Trump supporters.
“There are reports, you know, in the New York Post and elsewhere. And just from, you know, common sense, that antifa folks took advantage of this to try to get to the front and try to agitate and create openings for themselves,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth also alleged that he had seen evidence proving the conspiracy theory because “You can see the helmets where there’s a Donald Trump bumper sticker on the back, quickly put on it so they could look like they wanted to stop the steal. But what they really wanted to do was further the narrative.”
The claim is false. The people who attacked the Capitol building were, like Hegseth, supporters of Donald Trump and they were attempting to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win. Trump was later impeached (for the second time) for inciting the attack at a rally earlier on that day.
The newly revealed conspiracy promotion echoes much of the world view of Trump. Trump has floated pardons for his supporters who have been convicted for breaching the Capitol. Similarly, Trump has long been a backer of conspiracy theories—most prominently the false, racist “birther” conspiracy that claimed former President Barack Obama was ineligible for office.
It is unclear if Hegseth still stands behind the made-up story he promoted. In recent meetings with senators, Hegseth has attempted to distance himself from other controversial statements he has made during his time as a pundit for Fox News. Those remarks include his opposition to women serving in combat roles and his argument that allowing gay people to openly serve in the military is part of a “Marxist” plot.
Hegseth’s nomination has been plagued with disturbing revelations which have called into question his character and competence for a position that would be in charge of the entire U.S. military. Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault, public drunkenness, and financial mismanagement of a conservative veterans’ nonprofit group.
Despite this series of disclosures, Republicans in the Senate have continued to voice support for the nominee. But in a recent poll by Civiqs for Daily Kos, 48% of registered voters opposed his nomination while only 42% support Trump’s pick.
