Congresswoman questions Hegseth about book removals at Naval Academy, other military libraries
Rep. Sarah Elfreth is seeking answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as military libraries face a deadline to remove books and other materials to comply with a Pentagon directive on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In a letter exclusively obtained by The Baltimore Sun, Elfreth, D-Md., writes to Hegseth asking for details from the department on 'targeting books and historical materials that this Administration has ideological disagreements with.'
The letter requests more information on a department memorandum, issued earlier this month, that directed military leaders to remove all books focusing on perceived DEI issues by Wednesday.
The memo stated that 'promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department's core mission,' according to the AP.
Since Hegseth was confirmed as Defense secretary, the department has deleted or removed thousands of historical images, documents, and stories from online archives that contain perceived references to DEI, only for some to be restored after outside complaints.
They included an article on the military service of Jackie Robinson — restored after ESPN asked the department about its removal — and images and references to the Enola Gay, the World War II aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
The Nimitz Library at the U.S. Naval Academy department removed 381 books in April after Hegseth's office issued directives to evaluate and eliminate works focused on DEI.
'We knew it was bigger than the Naval Academy,' Elfreth told The Sun. 'It's a distraction — of time, energy, resources, capital — towards culture wars and not towards what's actually going to make us ready to defend this country against our adversaries.'
The letter lists five questions for the secretary to respond to about the memo. One asks about the formation of the Academic Libraries Committee, the temporary committee that provided a list of search terms for military leaders to target in the book removal.
Other questions refer to potential criteria to inform the list of search terms, the department institutions impacted by the memo, the future of the removed books and the costs associated with the removal.
More disturbing than the targeting of books, Elfreth's letter states, 'is the lack of explanation, and the contradiction between the books this Administration thinks should be removed and the books that remain, like Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler and The Doctrine of Facism by Benito Mussolini.'
Elfreth is a member of the U.S. Armed Services Committee. Seven Armed Services Democrats joined the letter.
Hegseth has been weathering a maelstrom of mistakes. It started with the Signalgate incident, when then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz created a group chat of America's highest-ranking officials to discuss military strikes in the Middle East. Hegseth sent sensitive information about the strikes in the chat, which included a journalist whom Waltz had mistakenly added.
Additional reporting revealed another chat used to discuss the strikes. Hegseth included his wife in the second chat, marking another security breach. He also fired top Pentagon staffers, alleging they were leaking to the media, while his chief of staff resigned.
'This is what the media does,' Hegseth said at the time. 'They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations. It's not going to work with me, because we're changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war fighters.'
He has faced public calls from resignation from his former chief spokesperson, John Ullyot, and Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican.
'In your confirmation hearing, you reiterated the importance of lethality in our fighting forces — how does erasing our history from public display and removing books from military educational institutions serve this goal?' the letter states. 'Time and energy spent attempting to expunge our historical record simply means diverting resources away from critical readiness.'
'Our servicemembers are tested every day physically and mentally, and they have the capacity to critically examine and engage with texts they disagree with,' it continues.
_____
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hegseth Says Attack on Iran was US-Led
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the US has worked closely with Israel but this air strike on Iran was US-operated and US-led. "We made sure we were not in the same piece of airspace and sky. Aside from that, that was the extent of it," said General Dan Caine, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. They spoke at the Pentagon. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump warns of more attacks; lauds ‘spectacular military success' on Iran nuclear sites
President Trump on Saturday declared U.S. strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities were a 'spectacular military success,' but warned in an address to the nation that he could order further action if Tehran does not agree to a satisfactory peace agreement. 'Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror,' Trump said in remarks from the Cross Hall at the White House. 'Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.' The president had announced hours earlier on Truth Social that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. In his remarks on Saturday night, Trump said those facilities 'have been completely and totally obliterated.' Trump, who was joined by Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his remarks, warned that Saturday's strikes could be the first in a wave of actions against Iran, which has been locked in conflict with Israel for nearly two weeks. Trump delivered his address from the doorway of the East Room, with the grand foyer in the background, the same place former President Obama delivered his address to the nation announcing the killing of Osama Bin Laden. In a Truth Social post shortly after his on-camera remarks, Trump warned that any retaliation from Iran would be met with 'force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.' 'This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said. 'Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.' The president did not offer specifics on what an acceptable peace agreement with Iran would look like, or how negotiations might proceed in the wake of the U.S. strikes. He has previously said Iran cannot be allowed to achieve a nuclear weapon, and that Tehran cannot be allowed to enrich uranium as part of any deal. Fox News and The New York Times reported the U.S. dropped six 'bunker-buster' bombs on the Fordow nuclear facility, which is buried deep in a mountain. Trump said Hegseth and other top Pentagon officials would address the public on Sunday morning. Trump spoke after the U.S. attack with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president said in Saturday's address that the U.S. and Israel 'worked as a team.' The White House released photos of Trump in the Situation Room during Saturday's operation. Others in the room included Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. Trump had indicated as recently as Friday that he was willing to give Iran two weeks before taking direct action, a signal he was holding out for a diplomatic solution. Saturday's strikes raised immediate questions about the extent of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East and about Trump's authority to order the bombings without congressional approval. While most Republicans expressed support for Trump's actions against Iran, some suggested he was beyond his constitutional authority. 'This is not Constitutional,' Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posted on X. 'While President Trump's decision may prove just, it's hard to conceive a rationale that's Constitutional,' Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) posted ahead of Trump's remarks. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about those criticisms. Updated: 10:40 p.m. ET Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hegseth says ‘Iran has a choice,' US not seeking regime change
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday morning that Iran faces a choice between a negotiated settlement or an escalating conflict with the U.S. after strikes hit three nuclear sites in the country on Saturday. 'Now is the time to come forward for peace,' Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon along with Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine. 'And I think Tehran is certainly calculating the reality that planes flew from the middle of America and Missouri overnight, completely undetected over three of their most highly sensitive sites, and we were able to destroy nuclear capabilities,' he added. Caine said the damage assessment was ongoing but that all three nuclear sites targeted in the strikes sustained 'severe damage and destruction.' Trump on Saturday said the facilities had been 'obliterated.' Iran signaled little interest in diplomacy in the hours after the strikes, dubbed as Operation Midnight Hammer. 'The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragaci posted on the social media site X shortly after the strikes. 'In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.' Hegseth said Saturday's strikes were limited in scope, but pointed to President Trump's warning on Truth Social that 'any retaliation by Iran against the United States will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.' The Pentagon chief said the operation was 'not and has not been about regime change' in Iran. He said it had set back Iran's nuclear timeline. Caine also provided new details about the operation during Sunday's briefing, which he called the largest B-2 bomber operation in history. He said the U.S. dropped 75 guided weapons on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear enrichment and research sites. This included 14 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, the first operational use of the weapon, and two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a submarine, he said. A total of 125 aircraft were involved in the mission. The B-2 bombers involved in the operation flew 37 hours non-stop from their base in Missouri, refueling in the air. Caine said that a group of the bombers had been deployed west over the Pacific Ocean as a decoy. The weapons were dropped in a window from 6:40 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. Eastern time. Trump announced the strike via a Truth Social post about 45 minutes later. The American forces appear to have gone undetected in Iranian airspace. Caine said no shots were fired at American aircraft, nor did Iran's missile defense system notice them. 'Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise,' he said. Hegseth said Congress was only notified of the attacks after warplanes had dropped their payload and exited Iranian airspace. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle accused the administration of violating the Constitution, which requires congressional approval before entering foreign wars. 'This is not Constitutional,' Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) tweeted as the news broke. Massie sponsored a House resolution earlier this week to require Congressional authorization for any strike in Iran. Vice President Vance, a veteran and frequent skeptic of foreign intervention, congratulated the troops and others involved in the strike on Sunday morning. 'I think what they did was accomplish a very core American national objective. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons program,' said in an interview on ABC News. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
