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Secretary Hegseth Paves the Way for Department of Defense Accountability

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3 months ago

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Image: Wikimedia Commons with screenshot of OSD memo

Service members applaud the Department of Defense’s latest move, hoping it brings them one step closer to holding accountable those who implemented and enforced former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s tyrannical COVID-19 shot mandate.

While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently stated that the COVID-19 shot mandate was “unlawful,” The Gateway Pundit previously reported that his comments were not in writing. From a legal perspective, it is important to note that video and verbal statements are admissible in the same manner for court cases.

The Department of Defense (DoD) wasted little time putting his choice of words to paper. On May 7, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OSD) Personnel & Readiness sent a “MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS,” noting that the now-rescinded 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate was “unlawful as implemented.”

TGP spoke to whistleblower and “forced into retirement” Navy Medical Service Corps officer Lt. Ted Macie. According to Macie, “Those responsible for forcing the shot on service members can no longer deny their acts were unlawful, which will be a great benefit to ongoing cases or any litigation that’s on the way.” Since the mandate was “unlawful as implemented,” he said, “the persons responsible now have no top cover for implementing the mandate that violated the law. Period.”

In a recent X post, he also pointed out the alleged conspiring between Department of Defense, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Pfizer to “push” the COVID-19 shot mandate.

According to Macie, “Whoever was involved in implementing the mandate should be held accountable, and some of those people should be court-martialed or face another appropriate trial if they were a civilian, like in the case of the Director of Civil Law and Litigation, Robert J. Preston, who argued that the interchangeability of the EUA and the unavailable FDA Approved shots was legitimate enough to mandate the EUA version, clearly against the law (as noted in the above X post).” In Macie’s opinion, “The most egregious cases need to be investigated and be given a proper trial, if necessary.”

Kacy Dixon, a former Air Force intelligence officer and Judge Advocate General (JAG), agreed. She told The Gateway Pundit that “when you are aware of unlawful actions taking place within the Department of Defense, the next natural step is to investigate that unlawfulness, and depending on what the investigation bears out, take appropriate action based on that information. This action could come in the form of administrative punishment, grade determinations, or even criminal charges, she explained. “Depending on what information the investigations reveal, that would determine what appropriate accountability looks like.”

In her opinion, “The most egregious offenders should be held accountable first—and to the greatest extent of the law.” As investigations “trickle down” the military chain of command, she said, “it would get a little more complicated, [determining] the varying levels of culpability.”

“For instance, who acted in knowing contravention of the law, who was derelict even after service members had raised concern about the mandate being unlawful, and who was merely ignorant of the legal issues?” she offered. Concerns raised by many servicemembers were “totally disregarded” and “service members’ careers were ended with their lives turned upside down.”

“[Commanders] issued punishment and discharges without flinching, she asserted. “Secretary Hegseth should also be quick to initiate thorough, fair investigations and ensure swift true justice in the same unflinching manner,” she noted

Macie also shared his thoughts about the accompanying Supplemental Guidance to OSD’s memo. Military Discharge Review Boards and Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records were provided further guidance for considering requests from service members adversely impacted by the mandate.

After reviewing the guidance, he argued, “the burden is much heavier for the service member to right the wrongs made against them.” He explained, “The DoD should carry a greater burden to right their wrongs.” For example, he personally knows “people fighting to fix their records and get back in and no one is helping them, [and] there’s even a lack of response from recruiters.”

Macie suggested, “there needs to be a more active pursuit of all servicemembers, not just the 8,700 and those who took a deal, which is a form of coercion in itself.” He explained, “They (referring to DoD) offered separation in exchange for a possible honorable discharge, which in some cases the DoD didn’t live up to and separated some with less than honorable discharge statuses or they were marked with ‘misconduct – serious offence.’”

In addition, he said, “It’s important to point out the different ways people were separated, as everyone who was offered the deal to get out should be covered, which includes members who took the deal, members who didn’t take the deal and made it to the time a court injunction (preventing separation) was in ordered, and lastly, the many instances similar to mine where commands found roundabout ways to separate them from service.”

By his estimation, “This is the majority and we’re failing to recruit them, all while making it more difficult than it has to be for them to return.”

“For the people who upheld their Oath and resisted the unlawful order, they should be awarded,” Macie argued. “Many were willing to end their career and do right by the Constitution and their Oath, and those are the kind of people we want to serve our country. Until there is some accountability or display of trust, many won’t return.”

“Secretary Hegseth and his team have expressed that they want to remedy the situation through several avenues,” and in Macie’s opinion, “using the ‘unlawful’ language implies sincerity, but there is still much that needs to be done, and the sooner they realize that they need the assistance of those who understand the nuances, the sooner actual remedy is a possibility.”

“This is the reason many of us [affected by the shot mandate] have lobbied for COMCAP (a proposed executive order), which addresses everything in a comprehensive and fair manor,” he offered.

The post Secretary Hegseth Paves the Way for Department of Defense Accountability appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Victor Reacts: This Is Almost Too Stupid to Be True – NYC Transgender Homeless Shelter (VIDEO)

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19 hours ago

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August 9, 2025

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Democrats continue to somehow subvert the lowest of expectations as they fight their woke crusades.

In a first ever virtue signal, New York City is set to open a transgender only homeless shelter.

The Gateway Pundit reported,

The city of New York is opening the nation’s first transgender-only homeless shelter.

The shelter, a partnership between a local LGBTQ nonprofit and the city government, will cost the city an extraordinary $65 million and will be the first transgender homeless shelter in the nation.

“ We’ve watched so many other corporations and foundations and businesses just like completely turn their back on the community and the city didn’t do it,” said Sean Ebony Coleman, founder and CEO of Destination Tomorrow, the nonprofit that will manage the shelter for the city.

“The city is keeping in line with what New York City has always been, a sanctuary city, a safe haven, but more importantly, a trendsetter when it comes to LGBTQ rights.”

The opening comes amid a broader homelessness crisis in New York City, where more than 100,000 people are estimated to be without stable housing on any given night.

The city’s shelter system is already stretched thin, with demand rising due to a combination of economic hardship, an influx of illegal aliens ,and a severe shortage of affordable housing.

Who cares about all the other homeless people in New York City each night, the transgender homeless come first.

Truth has become stranger than parody. With any luck, Democrats will continue down this path of self destruction that has been so thoroughly rejected by the American people.

The post Victor Reacts: This Is Almost Too Stupid to Be True – NYC Transgender Homeless Shelter (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Suspect in Deadly Montana Bar Shooting Captured After a Weeklong Manhunt

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19 hours ago

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August 9, 2025

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A weeklong manhunt has come to a close with the apprehension of Michael Paul Brown, a 45-year-old Army veteran, following a fatal mass shooting at The Owl Bar in Anaconda.

On August 1, 2025, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Brown entered The Owl Bar, where he lived next door, and opened fire with a rifle, killing four local residents: bartender Nancy Lauretta Kelley (64) and patrons Daniel Edwin Baillie (59), David Allen Leach (70), and Tony Wayne Palm (74).

A multi-agency effort, including state law enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service, and federal resources, scoured the mountainous terrain surrounding Anaconda. Helicopters, K9 units, and tactical teams were deployed across the region.

A reward of $7,500 to $10,000 was offered for information leading to Brown’s capture.

On Friday, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte confirmed Brown’s arrest via social media, acknowledging the rapid and resolute law enforcement response.

“The Anaconda shooter Michael Brown has been apprehended. Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana. Thank you to all partners for your commitment to the search. May God continue to be with the families of the four victims still grieving their loss,” Gianforte.

CNN reported:

Brown had been on the run since the “biggest” shooting in the state of Montana in a decade. He was arrested around 2 p.m. local time Friday near the search area in Anaconda and is now in the custody of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County authorities, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

Brown, an Army veteran, was seen on security footage fleeing The Owl Bar, where the fatal shooting occurred, investigators said. Since then, he had been sought by authorities representing at least 38 local, state and federal agencies traversing challenging terrain in the western Montana wilderness.

“I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown. The support we’ve seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a statement following the arrest. “The families and friends of the victims remain in my prayers.”

[…]

Brown served as an armor crewman in the US Army from January 2001 to May 2005 and was deployed to Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005, Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, a spokesperson with the US Army, previously told CNN.

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, previously told CNN he struggled with his mental health during his time in the Army and was never the same after his service. Brown’s mental health got progressively worse with the passing of both of his parents, Boyle said.

The post Suspect in Deadly Montana Bar Shooting Captured After a Weeklong Manhunt appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: Fire Ravages World-Famous Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain

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19 hours ago

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August 9, 2025

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Fire breaks out in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Cordoba.

More than a tourist attraction, more than an architectural treasure, the Mosque-Cathedral in the Andalusian city of Cordoba, Spain is a historical monument and a spiritual center – so, all around the world, both the faithful and the history lovers are mourning as a massive fire consumes the building complex.

Newsweek reported:

“Firefighters are responding to the blaze at the major tourist attraction and UNESCO-listed heritage site in Andalusia. Footage shows thick smoke billowing out from the millennia-old building as flames lapped at its roof.

Firefighters from the city of Córdoba are still battling to extinguish the fire at the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba but local reports say the blaze is mostly contained as of 10 p.m. local time. The extent of damage is not yet clear.”

Being simultaneously one of the most significant buildings both in Islamic and in Christian architectural history, it began as a grand mosque in the 8th century and was transformed into a cathedral in 1236.

“The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, officially called the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, was built as a mosque over 200 years starting 785 CE. The mosque opened in 988 CE, and remained a Muslim site for nearly 300 years before the Christian conquest of Cordoba in 1236 CE.

The structure converted to a cathedral, undergoing additional modifications and building until one final, major addition in 1607 CE.”

Read more, from November 2024:

‘The Virgin of Paris’: Medieval Statue of the Virgin Mary With Baby Jesus, That Survived the 2019 Fire, Is Returned to the Notre Dame Cathedral Ahead of December Grand Reopening

The post WATCH: Fire Ravages World-Famous Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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