Exclusive: GOP Probes Army For Labeling Pro-Lifers As ‘Terrorists’
Slide was not officially approved, the slide’s categorization of pro-life organizations as ‘radical’ and ‘terrorist’ groups still raises concerns about how such language made its way into the military’s training materials in the first place,” the letter continues.
“Particularly worrisome is that this slide came at a time when the Department of Defense is already under scrutiny for comparing legitimate individuals and entities concerned with the right to life to violent extremists,” the members of Congress added. “Attempts to chill speech and association on non-violent conservative positions at taxpayer expense have no place in a free society.”
“It’s vital that the U.S. military create a culture of openness and fairness that does not stifle peaceful dissent, especially by categorizing opposition to abortion as terrorism,” the letter concludes.
Eighty-seven congressional Republicans are demanding answers from the U.S. Army after one of its bases got caught referring to pro-life organizations as “terrorist groups.”
“The American public expects the Department of Defense and its personnel to defend the homeland from actual terrorists, not Americans who seek protections for children in the womb,” a letter sent to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on Friday and obtained by The Federalist reads.
Spearheaded by Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., the probe seeks to uncover information about an anti-terrorism briefing slide recently used by Fort Liberty (formerly known as Fort Bragg) that classified pro-life groups such as National Right to Life and Operation Rescue as threats to the American homeland.
First reported Wednesday by self-described analyst Sam Shoemate on X, the slideshow presentation listed features of these so-called “anti-abortion” groups, such as their opposition to Roe v. Wade and what types of activities they partake in. According to Shoemate, the pro-life slide “followed right after a slide about ISIS, a terror group in the Middle East.”
Fort Liberty’s public affairs office confirmed the slide’s authenticity to The Federalist on Thursday, claiming they were “not vetted by the appropriate approval authorities” and “will no longer be used” in future trainings. The office did not, however, respond to The Federalist’s follow-up inquiry on whether the “local garrison employee” responsible for creating the slides has been or will be punished or fired for their conduct.
“While Ft. Liberty’s statement asserts that the slides ‘do not reflect the views of the … U.S. Army or the Department of Defense’, the American people are rightfully concerned that training of this kind is being disseminated in the first place and possibly at other military installations,” Republicans’ letter to Wormuth reads. “The American people deserve to be assured that these slides truly do not reflect the Army’s views, that a full investigation will be conducted, and that any offending employees will be properly held accountable.”
Republicans demanded Wormuth provide more details on the aforementioned slides and individuals responsible for vetting such materials. They additionally requested the Army secretary explain what specific actions the branch is taking “to investigate the distribution of training materials depicting Pro-Life Americans as terrorists” and what “statutes or Army regulations were potentially violated and what action is the Army taking with regard to any offending employee.”
Demands that Wormuth commit to conducting an “installation-by-installation review” to determine whether such materials are being used at other bases and ensuring they will no longer be utilized by the Army are also included in the letter. Wormuth has until July 29 to respond to Republicans’ inquiry, according to the document.
The National Right to Life Committee, CatholicVote, Family Research Council, and other pro-life organizations are supporting Republicans’ letter, according to Budd’s office.
Letter to SecArmy Re Anti Terrorism Slide FINAL by The Federalist on Scribd
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