Hegseth Flagged as Potential Insider Threat

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, has been flagged as a potential 'Insider Threat' due to a tattoo associated with white supremacist groups. This concern was raised by a fellow National Guard member who noted that Hegseth's tattoo, which reads 'Deus Vult' (Latin for 'God wills it'), has been linked to extremist ideologies and anti-Muslim sentiment. Hegseth has previously downplayed extremism within the military and criticized efforts to address it, arguing he was unfairly labeled an extremist by his unit during the January 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden. If confirmed, Hegseth would oversee a department that has struggled with issues of extremism, despite his claims that such problems are exaggerated. The scrutiny over Hegseth's nomination reflects broader concerns about military extremism, with over 480 individuals with military backgrounds identified as having committed ideologically driven extremist crimes since 2017. Hegseth and the Trump transition team have not commented on these allegations.