A Space Force lieutenant colonel was removed from his command after criticizing the U.S. military on a conservative podcast.
During an appearance on “The Steve Gruber Show,” Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier discussed his new book, “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military,” which claims that Marxist beliefs are becoming more common in the armed forces, CNN reported Sunday.
On the podcast, Lohmeier said he has witnessed “fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be.”
“Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be,” Lohmeier said, according to CNN.
“That wasn’t just prolific in social media or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I had recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature,” he added.
When pushed on what he meant by these comments, Lohmeier said The New York Times’s 1619 Project, a historical look at how slavery shaped the country’s institutions, was “anti-American.”
“It teaches intensive teaching that I heard at my base — that at the time the country ratified the United States Constitution, it codified white supremacy as the law of the land,” Lohmeier said.
“If you want to disagree with that, then you start [being] labeled all manner of things, including racist,” he continued.
In a statement to CNN, a Defense Department official said Lohmeier was relieved from his command “due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead.”
“Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, Space Operations Command commander, relieved Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier of command of the 11th Space Warning Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, May 14, due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead,” the official told the network.
“This decision was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast. Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation (CDI) on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity,” the official continued.
The Hill reached out to Lohmeier and the Defense Department for comment.
Republican lawmakers reacted to Lohmeier’s removal.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), for example, called the removal “outrageous.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) also called Lohmeier “a Patriot” and said his demotion was “clearly retaliatory.”
Gaetz also said he “will be seeking action on this in the Armed Services Committee.”