The U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees the military’s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, has reassigned the chief of its diversity and inclusion office over a Facebook post from 2020 in which he compared then-President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.
A spokesman for the command said Tuesday that Richard Torres-Estrada had been assigned to other duties pending the results of an investigation.
Torres-Estrada’s Facebook account is currently unable to be viewed.
“The Commander has directed an investigation to look into the facts surrounding Mr. Torres-Estrada’s selection,” Ken McGraw, the USSOCOM spokesman, told Fox News.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on specifics until the evaluation is complete.”
McGraw told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Saturday that USSOCOM was investigating Facebook posts from Torres-Estrada that came to light after his hiring was announced last week.
In one post on June 2, 2020, Torres-Estrada published side-by-side photos of both Trump and Hitler holding Bibles.
The photo of Trump was taken a day earlier outside of St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C., following protests over the police-involved death of George Floyd.
The photo of Hitler was doctored and flagged by Facebook as false information.
USSOCOM announced last Thursday that Torres-Estrada was hired as chief of the command’s new diversity and inclusion unit.
USSOCOM welcomes our new Chief of Diversity & Inclusion, Mr. Richard Torres-Estrada. We look forward to his contribution in enhancing the capabilities and effectiveness of #SOF through diversity of talent, helping us recruit the best of the best. #QuietProfessionals pic.twitter.com/Z6aJnz91mx
— USSOCOM (@USSOCOM) March 25, 2021
Fox News host Tucker Carlson discussed Torres-Estrada’s posts during a segment on his show on Friday.
Carlson blasted the Pentagon for creating the position held by Torres-Estrada, saying his hiring is one of several recent examples of the Defense Department going “woke.”
“The Pentagon is now the Yale faculty lounge, but with cruise missiles. That should concern you,” Carlson said.
USSOCOM did not respond to a request for additional comment on Tuesday.
via westernjournal