Pentagon’s diversity chief is ‘reassigned’ after he compared Donald Trump to Hitler on Facebook
- The Pentagon’s pick for chief of diversity and inclusion has been ‘reassigned’ while the DoD investigates whether it’s appropriate he stay in the role
- Richard Torres-Estrada previously shared posts on social media that were anti-former President Donald Trump
- The biggest offender is a post where he compared Trump, during last summer’s infamous Bible photo-op, to Adolf Hitler
- Fox News Channel and later Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Torres-Estrada was ‘reassigned’ pending an investigation
The Pentagon’s pick for chief of diversity and inclusion, Richard Torres-Estrada, has been ‘reassigned’ after sharing posts on social media comparing former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.
The Defense Department is investigating whether it’s appropriate Torres-Estrada stay in the role.
On June 2, Torres-Estrada had posted a side-by-side of a doctored photo of Hitler holding up a Bible and Trump holding up a Bible in front of St. John’s church, after his infamous walk across Lafayette Square – when Black Lives Matter protesters were cleared out with teargas and rubber bullets just moments before.
The Pentagon’s pick for chief of diversity and inclusion, Richard Torres-Estrada, is being probed for problematic social media posts like this one where he compared Adolf Hitler to former President Donald Trump
Richard Torres-Estrada, who was supposed to be the chief of diversity and inclusion, has been ‘reassigned’ until an investigation concludes
Fox News Channel reported on Torres-Estrada’s reassignment, with a spokesman telling the network he would be ‘assigned to other duties pending the results of the investigation.’
‘The Commander has directed an investigation to look into the facts surrounding Mr. Torres-Estrada’s selection,’ Ken McGraw, a spokesman for the U.S. Special Operations Command, told Fox. ‘It would be inappropriate to comment on specifics until the evaluation is complete.’
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed the investigation as well at Monday’s press briefing.
Kirby said SOCOM head Gen. Richard Clarke is probing the matter and has the backing of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
‘Obviously, we take the need to promote diversity and inclusion seriously here in the department,’ Kirby told reporters. ‘The secretary has spoken to that many times. And we certainly want that work to be transparent, to be credible, to be effective, and of course professional.’
Kirby declined to give additional details about the ongoing investigation.
‘We want everybody to take those duties and responsibilities seriously and professionally, but I’m not going to get ahead of the Special Operations Command’s investigation,’ he said.
Trump’s June 1 photo-op in front of St. John’s church was highly controversial for both the treatment of protesters, who were acting non-violently at the time, and because of the appearance of military brass at his side.
Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later apologized for taking the walk with the now ex-president.
‘I should not have been there,’ he said in mid-June. ‘My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.’
SOCOM had announced Torres-Estrada as the pick for diversity chief on Thursday.
On Friday, Fox News Channel pundit Tucker Carlson shared Torres-Estrada’s posts on his show, blasting the military for going ‘woke.’
