President Donald Trump continues to make questionable choices on who will serve in key positions in his administration. His most recent picks include men who have promoted debunked conspiracy theories and another who has been accused of spousal abuse.
Trump has selected conservative writer Darren Beattie to serve as acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy.
Beattie ran the pro-Trump Revolver News website where he sold Trump gear including a shirt that said “it’s OK to deny 2020,” a reference to 2020 election conspiracy theories. Beattie has also claimed that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was a “clear hoax” carried out by the federal government.
The new hire previously served in the first Trump administration. During that stint he was fired after it was discovered that he had spoken at a conference alongside white supremacists.
Joe Kent, who twice failed to win a congressional seat in Washington, was selected by Trump to lead the National Counter Terrorism Center. The center is responsible for collecting intelligence from other agencies—including the FBI, CIA, and the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security—to assess threats and to formulate a unified response.
When running for office, Kent gave an interview to a Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist. Kent also appeared in photographs at a fundraiser alongside the host, Greyson Arnold, who had previously argued that the U.S. should have sided with Nazi Germany in World War II.
Kent also came to the defense of white supremacist Nick Fuentes when his account was banned by Twitter in 2021, writing, “Many are glad that their political rivals are targeted by the state & big tech, they hate Trump, @NickJFuentes & MAGA.”
Kent is a 2020 election conspiracy theorist and said in a 2021 candidate forum that President Joe Biden was “not legitimate.”
Sean Parnell speaks before President Donald Trump at a campaign event.
Trump has also selected failed Pennsylvania congressional candidate Sean Parnell to serve as the chief spokesperson at the Pentagon.
“A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War,” Trump wrote.
What Trump failed to note in his announcement was that Parnell’s estranged wife accused him of abuse. Under oath in 2021, Laurie Parnell said her husband “tried to choke me out on a couch” and that he “was strangling me.” She also said that during a Thanksgiving trip, Parnell forced her out of a car and left her on the side of the highway. Parnell denied the allegations.
Laurie Parnell later was awarded sole custody of their three children and the judge described her as “the more credible witness” in the case.
The three hires echo the abuse allegations that have been leveled against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as the many women who have credibly accused Trump of sexual abuse.
Trump is infamous for promoting multiple ridiculous conspiracy theories, most notably the racist birther conspiracy that alleged former President Barack Obama was not a U.S. citizen. Trump has made clear that he intends to reward fellow travelers in the world of conspiracy and abuse.
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