The Trump regime's latest unconstitutional civil rights attack was blasted savagely even before it was announced, along with the assurance it was doomed to fail. Word has leaked that the morally reprehensible Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is going to attempt shut down all communication between military and military support personnel and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the primary vehicle for defending them against religious oppression and indoctrination, overwhelming from Christian nationalists.
But, "It's not going to work, Pettie, I can make that very clear," MRFF founder, president & CEO Mikey Weinstein said in an open video to Hegseth.
Like many of the other extreme actions coming out of the Trump administration, this isn't a new idea on the right, but it's even more wildly unconstitutional than earlier efforts along the same lines. In July 2023, a provision to do just the same was inserted into the House version by Rep. Mike Turner, (R-OH). Although clearly unconstitutional, it could have taken years of litigation if passed. Instead, MRFF and its allies got the provision virtually flipped on its head in the final bill, signed into law in February 2024. It required the DOD to respond to MRFF's complaints in a timely manner. And MRFF could still go to court if not satisfied. That law is still on the books, so Hegseth's plan directly contradicts a recently-passed law as well as the Constitution and case law as far as the eye can see.
"You are in the executive branch.... You execute the laws that are passed by Congress, and you do not interpret them, that belongs to the judiciary" Weinstein explains in the video. "This is something that's embodied in another thing we call the US Constitution."
MRFF exists precisely to protect military and related personnel, he goes on to explain. "We know exactly who you are. And who are you? You're a misogynistic, mendacious, alcoholic, Christian nationalist piece of shit. So you stay in your lane, little guy. You're not going to be able to do anything to stop what we're doing. We're going to continue to represent vigorously and aggressively and openly the civil rights of members of the military."
