The Absurd GOP

[Pat Mustard]

Meanwhile, Hegseth is holding Christian masses in the Pentagon where he and a pastor are thanking god for sending Trump

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosted a Christian prayer service on Wednesday at the Pentagon for employees that included a sermon by his hometown pastor who said President Donald Trump had been “sovereignly appointed.”

The service, which Hegseth told the audience would be a monthly event, was held in the Pentagon auditorium and broadcast live on the department’s internal TV network. Current and former defense officials told CNN it was highly unusual for the secretary to host a religious event during the workday for a particular religion.

In a prayer opening the service in the Pentagon auditorium, pastor Potteiger thanked God for Trump and other leaders who have been “sovereignly appointed,” and “the way that you have used him to bring stability and moral clarity to our lands.”

While the Pentagon offers routine religious accommodations and services to personnel of different faiths, none of them are broadcast live internally, held in the auditorium or hosted by the secretary.

And none of them are advertised like the service held on Wednesday morning – the Pentagon sent an email to DOD employees reviewed by CNN encouraging employees to attend in-person, and to RSVP to a dedicated internal email address for the prayer services. A brochure entitled “Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service” with details of the service was also handed out to employees as they entered the room.

The front page of the brochure featured the seal of the Department of Defense, which retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham – a national security law expert and law professor at Southwestern Law School – said was indicative of Hegseth and the government’s sponsorship of the event, and could be a violation of the the First Amendment’s prohibition on the US government endorsing a religion.

A former Pentagon lawyer who left the department in April called the service “incredibly problematic.” They added that the “core of the Establishment Clause is the state not endorsing a particular religion, but having a broadcast event is obviously an endorsement even if they don’t officially say, ‘this is a Pentagon event.’”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/21/polit...er-service

He's only attending to get at the communion wine, and to pretend that he's not drinking alone.