Two dozen Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), are calling on the acting Air Force secretary to reinstate the Air Force lieutenant colonel who was fired from his job at Space Force after warning Marxism was spreading within the military.
Lamborn and 23 colleagues sent a letter to Acting Secretary John Roth and Space Force Commander Gen. Jay Raymond on Wednesday after Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier was fired after appearing on several podcasts to discuss his new book, which warns of Marxism and critical race theory spreading within the military.
“We call on you to reinstate Lieutenant Colonel Lohmeier immediately, barring any violations of the UCMJ which have not been publicly disclosed. Whether you agree with him or not, no rational American can review his level-headed critique of critical race theory-based “diversity, equity, and inclusion” training the military is currently conducting and conclude that his comments on that subject deserve relief of command,” they wrote.
Lamborn said in a separate statement:
I am growing increasingly concerned about the proliferation of training and discussions rooted in critical race theory throughout the Department of Defense. This Marxist ideology teaches racial prejudice and collective guilt. The fact that it would be taught and promoted in the U.S. military is deeply disturbing. I am extremely concerned that advancing critical race theory will make it more difficult to attract patriotic talent to join the Armed Forces. The military should focus on our national security threats, not pandering to one political ideology. I can’t imagine a better way to weaken ourselves in the midst of a great-power competition with China and Russia. Lieutenant Colonel Lohmeier listened to the Secretary of Defense and stood up against extremism on the left. He should be praised for his courage.
The Republican letter also highlights the discrepancy between the treatment of those who voice concerns about the left versus the many senior commanders who voice support for the left.
For example, it notes that in June 2020, then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein stated, “Every American should be outraged that the conduct exhibited by police in Minneapolis can still happen in 2020.” The letter said, “While a reasonable person can share that sentiment, it is an extremely political statement for a Service Chief to make about a then-pending legal case.”
It also notes another instance, where then-Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright accused the Air Force of racism, and another instance when an Air Force colonel ghost-wrote articles extremely critical of various culture issues within the Air Force but instead of being reprimanded like Lohmeier, was actually offered a job on the Air Force headquarters staff.
The letter also notes the multiple senior leaders in the U.S. military attacking Tucker Carlson — a private citizen and journalist — for comments he made on his political opinion show. “There were no actions taken against any of these senior leaders who publicly, in uniform, and from official Department of Defense accounts lambasted a private U.S. citizen for having an opinion regarding defense policy which differed from the official DOD policy,” the letter said.
“We have never seen anything like it,” it said.
“Ultimately there seems to be no material difference between the very public statements made by many senior leaders while in uniform and on official social media accounts, and those made by Lieutenant Colonel Lohmeier in an unofficial capacity. The sole difference seems to be the ideological content of his remarks,” it said.
The lawmakers warned that senior leaders can no longer ignore critical race theory being spread throughout the military under the guise of “diversity training.” They said, “Now is a time for choosing: those leaders who are complicit with this poisonous philosophy which promotes racial essentialism and collective guilt in our beloved military will be judged by history accordingly.”
The letter is signed by Republican Reps. Ken Calvert (CA), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA), Michael Waltz (FL), Scott DesJarlais (TN), Brian Babin (TX), Rick Allen (GA), Matt Gaetz (FL), Randy Weber (TX), Barry Moore (AL), Mo Brooks (AL), Michael Cloud (TX), Andy Biggs (AZ), Tom McClintock (CA), Steven Palazzo (MS), Madison Cawthorne (NC), Guy Reschenthaler (PA), Brian Mast (FL), Glenn Grothman (WI), Greg Steube (FL), Louie Gohmert (TX), Ben Cline (VA), Lauren Boebert (CO), and Jody Hice (GA).
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, issued his own statement on political bias in the military on Wednesday, as reported by Breitbart News.
GOPs Urge Air Force to Reinstate Col. Lohmeier by Kristina Wong on Scribd
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