President-elect Donald Trump‘s nomination for Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary has been called one of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks, among a batch that has raised eyebrows.
Hegseth has faced allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in October 2017 sparking doubts about his ability to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, despite Republicans holding a 53 to 47 seat majority in January. Hegseth has said the sexual encounter was consensual. No charges were filed against him.
Amid this controversy, a claim appeared online which said that staff at the Department of Defense responsible for promoting equity and diversity, had threatened to mass-resign if Hegseth got the job.
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by the account @RickDoggin, posted on November 24, 2024, viewed 2.4 million times said: “BREAKING: All employees in the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are threatening to resign if Pete Hegseth is confirmed as Secretary of Defense.”
Actor James Woods said in a response post, posted on November 26, 2024, viewed 514,000 times: “They’re making it too easy for us!”
The Facts
There is no evidence that this is true.
The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) was established as the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity in 1994. The ODEI plans and carries out “diversity management and equal opportunity policies and programs” that affect active, reserve, and civilian DOD employees.
While Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans have criticized the DoD’s efforts to support diversity and inclusion among its personnel and staff, the ODEI is thought to be a relatively small department within the DoD that gathers data and makes recommendations.
Where the claim that all of its staff, of which there are thought to be very few, came from is unclear. It was shared on social media from the X account Wall Street Silver, now known as @WallStreetMav. It included no sources, references, or credible media outlets that substantiated the claim further. The account that shared this claim is known for posting misleading content, which has been investigated by Newsweek.
A Department of Defense official told Newsweek: “We are unaware and not tracking reports of mass staff resignations, and it would be inappropriate for the Department to speculate on hypotheticals.”
Newsweek has contacted a media representative for the Donald Trump transition team via email for comment.
The Ruling
False.
There is no evidence to substantiate this claim. The ODEI is thought to be a relatively small organization sitting within the Department of Defense. There is no evidence that its staff have publicly or privately threatened resignation over Hegseth’s potential appointment. The claim originated from a social media account notorious for posting misleading content. The Department of Defense says it is not aware of mass staff resignations.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team
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