Hegseth clashed with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) at his Tuesday hearing when the lawmaker accused the defense secretary nominee of advocating a prohibition against personnel who hold left-wing and liberal viewpoints opposed to his own.

“The statements you said about people who have views differently than you — that we’re the enemy. Are you saying that 50% of the DOD, if they hold liberal views or leftist views or are democrats, are not welcome in the military?” Gillibrand asked.

“I volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan under Democrat President Barack Obama,” Hegseth replied. “I also volunteered to guard the inauguration of Joe Biden but was denied the opportunity to serve because I was identified as an extremist by my own unit for a Christian tattoo.”

HEGSETH FIGHTS BACK AGAINST ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ AS DEMOCRATS CHARGE HE IS UNQUALIFIED TO LEAD PENTAGON

Hegseth has previously spoken out about how he was banned from working at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 due to concerns over his Christian tattoos — one depicting the Jerusalem cross and another that says “Deus Vult.”

Critics of his appointment said the tattoos are symbols of extremist and white supremacist ideology.

“Deus Vult,” meaning “God wills it,” was the motto for Catholic crusader knights fighting to reclaim the Holy Land in the 11th century.

The Jerusalem cross similarly originated as the symbol of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which was established in 1099. King Godfrey of Bouillon, who conquered the region, carried it as his personal coat of arms.

Since then, it has become a widely celebrated symbol of Catholics’ presence in the Holy Land and is depicted on altars, vestments, church edifices, and more.

It has also been adopted by non-Catholic Christians as a historic symbol of Christian unity and strength.

It recently appeared on programs distributed to attendees of former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral at the National Cathedral, an Episcopal church in Washington, D.C.

Hegseth noted the use of the symbol at the former president’s funeral during the senate hearing after Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) asked for him to expound on his rejection to work Biden’s inauguration.

“It’s a tattoo I have right here, Senator. It’s called the Jerusalem Cross. It’s a historic Christian symbol,” Hegseth told the lawmakers. “Interestingly, I recently attended the memorial ceremony of former President Jimmy Carter, and on the front page of his program was the very same Jerusalem Cross. It is a Christian religious symbol.”

Hegseth said his rejection from the Biden inauguration is part of a wider problem of intolerance in the military.

“If that’s happening to me, Senator, how many other men and women, how many other patriots, how many other people of conscience?” he asked during the hearing. “We haven’t even talked about COVID and the tens of thousands of service members who were kicked out because of an experimental vaccine in President Trump’s Department of Defense. They will be apologized to. They will be reinstated with pay and rank.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who grilled Hegseth during the Tuesday hearing over his opposition to women in combat roles, filed a letter to the Trump nominee earlier this month, objecting to the possibility of his leadership over the Department of Defense.

Among a long list of complaints in the letter, Warren cited his tattoos as a factor that should disqualify him from consideration.

“You were also removed from President Biden’s inauguration because of concerns that you were an insider threat after reports that your ‘Deus Vult’ tattoo ‘was a Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism,’” Warren wrote. “We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow servicemembers feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat.”

Hegseth’s opening testimony was repeatedly interrupted by a disgruntled audience member who shouted down the nominee.

“You are a misogynist!” an elderly man yelled as he was escorted out of the hearing. “Not only that, you are a Christian Zionist!”

More protesters were escorted out by Capitol Police shortly after they began shouting inaudible slogans to interrupt Hegseth.