Prominent civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill has voiced serious concerns about Peter Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, accusing him of holding extremist views. During an appearance on MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes, Ifill, the former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, criticized Trump’s Cabinet choices, which include Hegseth for defense secretary and Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Ifill described these selections as alarming and problematic.
While discussing Hegseth’s nomination, Hayes noted that Hegseth would likely deny the allegations. Newsweek, which reported the remarks, stated it has no evidence supporting Ifill’s claims and confirmed that it had reached out to Hegseth for comment.
Sherrilyn Ifill — Civil Rights Chair at Howard Uni who was part of Biden’s SCOTUS Commission — slanders Trump SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth as a “known white supremacist” during an MSNBC appearance with Chris Hayes. This is the line of attack that’s coming.pic.twitter.com/dz3NlqQnks
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) November 15, 2024
Hegseth’s qualifications for the role have also been questioned. Despite his military background, including service as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, he has no senior command experience. His career ended at the rank of major, and critics argue that his lack of experience managing large organizations undermines his suitability to oversee the Department of Defense, which employs over three million people.
Ifill pointed to Hegseth’s writings as evidence of his unfitness for the role, alleging they reveal extremist attitudes. She claimed that his work reflects opposition to efforts aimed at advancing Black officers to senior military ranks and described his book as emblematic of this stance. In his 2024 book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, Hegseth criticized diversity initiatives in the military, alleging they prioritize race over merit. His perspectives on women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and minorities have been criticized as discriminatory and potentially harmful to military cohesion.
The comments sparked pushback from even Democrats. Former Jill Biden Press Secretary Michael LaRosa said, “This sh*t has to stop. Opposing DEl initiatives does not make you a white supremacist.”
“Voices like this on the left are turning the Democratic Party into a joke.”
Former Jill Biden Press Secretary Michael LaRosa in response to MSNBC guest Sherrilyn Ifill calling Pete Hegseth a white supremacist:
“This sh*t has to stop. Opposing DEl initiatives does not make you a white supremacist.”
“Voices like this on the left are turning the… pic.twitter.com/shMzlOBQTA
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) November 15, 2024
The Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, will ultimately vote on Hegseth’s confirmation. While some GOP senators have expressed support, others remain skeptical of his qualifications.
CANT deal with Reality for sure
U lose go cry away