Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended his decision to restore the names of military bases that were originally named after Confederate leaders.
“What we’re looking at is erasing history,” Hegseth said after being pressed by a pair of senators about the decision.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., slammed Hegseth for not calling the families of relatives that the bases’ new names were named after to inform them of his decision.
“Why are you going through these incredible gymnastics finding current soldiers or other soldiers to rename?” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said, adding that he’s restoring the original names including after Robert E. Lee. “Why are you doing this? I don’t understand what the motivation is to rename bases for people who took up arms against their country on behalf of slavery? What possible motivation can there be for this? Who is telling you to do this? Who is urging you to do this?”
Hegseth said that there’s a “legacy” to the base names and said, “We’ve returned it back to what it was. Instead of trying to play this game of erasing names, we’re not erasing history.”
