‘Maybe They’re Telling YOU What You Want to Hear!’: Defense Sec Lloyd Austin Battles Matt Gaetz in Tense Duel on Critical Race Theory

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin got in a scrap with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) when the congressman accused the Department of Defense of promoting critical race theory.

Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, and as they defended the department’s budget proposals, they were questioned on whether critical race theory has been been instilled among the U.S. armed services.

Critical race theory is the intellectual movement encouraging Americans to recognize that racism has shaped the course of U.S. history and the formation of its society. The theorem is frequently attacked by conservatives including Gaetz — who pronounced it an inappropriate ideology during his time questioning Austin.

Earlier in the hearing, Austin testified that “We do not teach critical race theory. We don’t embrace critical race theory and I think that’s a spurious conversation.” Gaetz called those remarks “particularly helpful,” but then he called out Austin for receiving counsel from senior advisor Bishop Garrison, whom Gaetz pronounced a “critical race theorist.”

Gaetz continued to lambaste Garrison over his Twitter history, noting one social media post where Garrison criticized former President Donald Trump, and another in which Gaetz accused him of making an “ethno-nationalist” reference to former President Barack Obama.

“Could you enlighten us as to what advice Mr. Garrison has given you, and are you concerned that while you testified publicly to our committee that the department doesn’t embrace critical race theory, you have hired someone who is precisely a critical race theorist?”

Austin responded that he has never personally reviewed Garrison’s tweets, but he never heard him described as a “critical race theorist” before.

“Let me just share one other thing that you brought up, Congressman, about the input that comes to me,” Austin said. “I trust my leadership, from top to bottom, that they will give me fair and balanced and unvarnished input. And for you to say that people are telling me what I want to hear — I get it, but I’m smart enough to know…”

“That does happen,” Gaetz interjected.

“Yeah, you know, maybe they’re telling you what you want to hear!” Austin countered.

Milley was also questioned on critical race theory, during which time, he rejected criticism for it by saying “I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers … of being, quote, ‘Woke,’ because we’re studying some theories that are out there.”

Watch above (start at the 2:22:00 mark), via Reuters.