The Reflection Strategy: A story of Pete “Signalgate” Hegseth, a Drunk Cop, and an innocent asylum seeker
The nomination of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary provides a textbook example of the “reflection strategy” in action. We see a deflection tactic where those guilty of concerning behaviors aggressively target others for the same offense.
Hegseth, whose incidents include accidentally throwing an axe at a bystander at West Point and walking away, proudly displays what critics identify as white nationalist tattoos – a Jerusalem Cross and “Deus Vult” extremist symbols. Notably he deliberately branded himself with white nationalist group associations after being dismissed from the military for extremism, a choice that shows conscious affiliation rather than cultural heritage.
…Hegseth revealed a new one: a tattoo on his left bicep of the Arabic word “kafir,” which is usually translated as “infidel” or “unbeliever.” Hegseth showcased his new ink in a March 25th tweet from a day of performative exercise with the Navy SEALs. Context is everything, of course, but given his neo-Crusader tattoos (the “Deus Vult,” the Jerusalem Cross, the sword for Matthew 10:34); his numerous writing, interviews, and drunken rants that valorize Christian violence against Muslims…. Pete Hegseth is simply daring us to ask about his, and the administration’s, blatant hatred of Muslims.
Despite all the red flags of a Nazi parade, and his own admission of leaving the military after being “sidelined” for hate group affiliations, Hegseth’s character failures aren’t scrutinized but elevated to one of the nation’s highest offices as if Woodrow “KKK” Wilson is President again.
Meanwhile, in San Diego, former Milwaukee police officer Charles Cross Jr. – fired after driving his car into a family’s home while intoxicated – directly influetnced the fate of an asylum seeker Andry José Hernandez. Officer Cross, like Hegseth, has demonstrated poor judgment while intoxicated. In fact, Cross has so little credibility that he was put on the “Brady List” identifying unreliable police witnesses. Yet he still was allowed to flag Hernandez’s innocent “Mom” and “Dad” tattoos as gang symbols.
The result? Hernandez, a gay artist fleeing persecution (a clear protected asylum category under U.S. law), was deported without cause to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center despite having passed an initial “credible fear” interview with federal agents.
This stark contrast between tattoos on white supremacists in power and their targets reveals the reflection strategy at work: authorities with documented substance abuse issues and questionable judgment identify themselves with controversial symbols while simultaneously punishing vulnerable individuals for innocent cultural expressions.
By aggressively policing others for alleged “symbols,” they create a perfect deflection from their own problematic actions and affiliations. The scrutiny shifts away from the flaws of the powerful to the powerless.
This tactic thrives especially when we fail to recognize it and call it out for what it is. While an innocent man targeted with hate attacks sits in a terrorism detention center for honoring his parents, a man with extremist hate symbols is nominated to lead our nation’s defense.
The reflection is complete as false accusations flow downward while real accountability evaporates upward.
The pattern isn’t new.
Authoritarian movements throughout history have employed similar tactics by accusing others of precisely what they themselves are guilty of.
About 90% of migrants sent to El Salvador lacked U.S. criminal record. …there was no available information showing they committed any crime other than traffic or immigration violations in the U.S..
The actual narrative here seems only to be about the color of skin. The men deported in haste to a foreign concentration camp, without due process, clearly stand opposite this man.
Trump’s actual convictions pale in comparison with the number of allegations and felony counts he has amassed over his 78 years on the planet, which range from accusations of raping a teenager in 1994 to rigging the 2016 election and declarations that he incited violence that led to the 6 January 2021 storming of Capitol Hill. Overall, Trump has 34 felony counts to his name, one official conviction and two impeachments on his CV (along with six instances of bankruptcy…)
He’s the worst of the worst.
Recognizing this reflection strategy is the first step in dismantling it. We must demand consistent standards that scrutinize powerful actors at least as thoroughly as vulnerable ones, and recognize symbols take meaning from cultural context as well as intent of those who display them.