DEI’s ‘Divisive Ideology is Still Very Much Present, Just Lying in Wait’ for the Military

An insider, possibly a holdover from the Biden administration, might be pressuring subordinates to withhold FOIA information concerning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Last week, independent journalist and podcaster Sam Shoemate shared on X that a former Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Office of the Judge Advocate General on January 27, 2025.

On January 27, 2025, a retired Army JAG Officer submitted a FOIA requesting:

“all documents related to the formation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program for the Army JAG Corps; all documents related to the formation of the Office of the DEI (ODEI), the hiring… pic.twitter.com/vox7xbH8eM

— Shoe (@samosaur) January 28, 2026

The identity of the retired officer has since been disclosed as Mason Weiss. According to the post by Shoemate and documents reviewed by J.M. Phelps, the former Army Major made the following very specific requests:

“All documents related to the formation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program for the Army JAG Corps. All documents related to the formation of the Office of the DEI (ODEI), the hiring of its personnel, all training materials produced, all emails the ODEI sent, any and all mission statements of the ODEI; All documents related to what role the ODEI or DEI considerations played in recruiting, promotions, and assignments of JAGC personnel; all documents related to JAGC personnel serving on the ODEI Council; all documents about the promotion of JAGC “affinity groups;” all documents related to opposition to DEI by JAGC leaders; all documents related to a decision to alter or terminate the ODEI and DEI from the Army JAGC.”

With this request now circulating on social media, the concerns extend beyond just Weiss and Shoemate. Numerous service members and veterans are eager to understand what actions the JAG Corps took concerning the propagation of DEI ideology during the Biden administration.

A year passed, and Weiss’s request remained unanswered. In fact, Shoemate asserted that he knew for certain that at least one senior member of JAG deliberately attempted to hide the FOIA, and that this officer issued a directive to keep any information regarding the FOIA from being disclosed.

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Shoemate, who confirmed that Weiss has subsequently reached out via email to Major General (MG) Bobby Christine, the current JAG of the United States Army (TJAG) and a Trump-appointed official, to ask about the status of the FOIA. According to him, “This appears to be the first time MG Christine had been made aware of the FOIA.”

A total of 7,158 documents has now been made public regarding the establishment of the DEI program and its influence on various aspects of the Army during the Biden Administration.

Here are the 7,158 documents released from the FOIA sent to Army JAG in reference to the creation of the DEI program and how it bled into every aspect of the Army during the Biden Admin.

Citizen journalists, do your thing.https://t.co/nOMZAWlnQE https://t.co/i9wHwaKvyN

— Shoe (@samosaur) February 4, 2026

Shoemate also shared that more FOIAs will be sent to determine what efforts were made to prevent the disclosure of these documents and hold anyone responsible for unlawful conduct.

“Making the public aware of potential criminal conduct from members of currently uniformed JAG personnel is the first step,” he argued. “An independent investigation of the materials to ensure they’re never allowed to be inserted into the military again is the next step.”

“Despite [War Secretary] Hegseth’s previous remarks that ‘DEI is dead at DOD,’” Shoemate said, “the reality is that the divisive ideology is still very much present, just lying in wait for a different administration to resurrect it and confront service members with it once again.”

Watch Weiss recount his experiences with Shoemate here, detailing the startling revelations he has already uncovered:

 

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