Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible 'Insider Threat'

Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that’s associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth has said he was pulled by his National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration, saying he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest. This week, however, a fellow Guard member shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo reading “Deus Vult” that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.”