After one of its foundations was discovered referring to pro-life organizations as “terrorist groups,” 88 Republican members of Congress are requesting answers from the U.S. Army.
A letter sent to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on Friday that was obtained by The Federalist states that” the American government expects the Department of Defense and its workers to protect the country from actual jihadists, not Americans who seek privileges for kids in the womb.”
Spearheaded by Sen. Ted Budd, R-N. C., and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N. C., the sensor seeks to reveal details about an anti-terrorism presentation slide just used by Fort Liberty ( formerly known as Fort Bragg ) that classified pro-life organizations such as National Right to Life and Operation Rescue as challenges to the American country.
Initially reported Wednesday by self-described scientist Sam Shoemate on X, the powerpoint presentation listed capabilities of these so-called “anti-abortion” organizations, such as their criticism to , Roe v. Wade , and what types of hobbies 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.
The American people are legitimately concerned that this kind of training is being distributed in the first place and possibly at other military installations, according to Republicans ‘ letter to Wormuth. The American people deserve to be assured that these images do not accurately reflect the Army’s opinions, that a thorough investigation will be conducted, and that any offending employees will be held accountable in the proper way.
Republicans demanded that Wormuth provide more information about the aforementioned slides and the people who would oversee their use. Additionally, they asked the Army secretary to explain what specific steps the branch is taking to “investigate the distribution of training materials depicting Pro-Life Americans as terrorists,” as well as what” statutes or Army regulations were potentially violated and what actions is the Army taking in regard to any offending employee.”
The letter also contains demands from Wormuth that they be committed to conducting an “installation-by-installation review” to check whether these materials are being used at other bases and how to ensure that the Army wo n’t continue to use them. 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.
The Federalist‘s final letter to SecArmy regarding the anti-terrorism slide on Scribd is the final one.
Update, July 12
Michelle Fischbach, a representative from Minnesota, also signed onto the letter, though her name was not on the original draft. Here is a revised version of the letter containing her signature.
The Federalist staff writer Shawn Fleetwood graduated from the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
