Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth An ‘Inside Threat’ Citing His Tattoos As Evidence

In a letter Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) wrote to the Department of Defense, she cautioned that Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth may be an “insider threat.”

Giving Hegseth four days to reply, Warren outlined 70 questions in a 33-page letter to Hegseth, sent on Monday.

She wrote, “I am deeply concerned by the many ways in which your behavior and rhetoric indicate that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense.”

She continued, “Your confirmation as Secretary of Defense would be detrimental to our national security and disrespect a diverse array of service members who are willing to sacrifice for our country.”

Warren pointed out the “Deus Vult” tattoo on Hegseth’s bicep, a Latin phrase that translates to “God wills it,” and brought up a previous Reuters article in which a National Guard master sergeant suspected Hegseth was an “inside threat,” after he researched the tattoo and found the phrase has long been considered a “battle cry” for hard-right extremists.

As a result, National Guard leadership pushed Hegseth out from serving during Joe Biden’s inauguration day.

Although some religious scholars have argued that the tattoo is considered a common symbol in Christianity, Warren has objected that Hegseth’s superior officer being disturbed serves as evidence that Hegseth has long been suspected of suspicious behavior.

She wrote in her letter, “We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow service members feel concerned enough about to report as a potential inside threat.”

She further delved into allegations against Hegseth of sexual misconduct and alcoholism and slammed his crusade against “woke” military policies. Pressing Hegseth about his opinion on the 2020 election, she asserted, “We cannot have a Secretary of Defense who is peddling conspiracy theories and making claims that are devoid of reality.”

One of Trump’s more endangered administration picks, Hegseth must clear the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he will likely face heavy opposition from Democrats, and then be confirmed by the full senate to secure the job.