Apr 2, 2021 - News

SOCOM's new D&I chief under investigation after Tucker Carlson targets social media posts

Ben Montgomery

The new chief of diversity and inclusion for U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base is under investigation for some of his prior social media posts, reports Stars and Stripes.

The state of play: Richard Torres-Estrada's hiring was announced March 1 and coincided with the publication of SOCOM's D&I Strategic Plan. He has nearly two decades of experience in D&I programs and activities in federal agencies, but has been reassigned during the investigation.

Driving the news: Things kicked off after Torres-Estrada was targeted by Fox News host Tucker Carlson over a Facebook post that compared former President Trump to Hitler, and a cartoon that depicted police interviewing Goldilocks while handcuffing a family of bears, with the commentary: “If you still don’t understand how racism works, remember SHE broke into THEIR house. #StopRacism.”

"The Pentagon is now the Yale faculty lounge but with cruise missiles, and that should concern you," Carlson said over a chyron heralding: "OUR MILITARY LEADERSHIP HAS GONE 'WOKE.'"

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SOCOM's new D&I chief under investigation after Tucker Carlson targets social media posts

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