Rising Republican star Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) launched a broadside against recent changes by the Department of Defense that she describes as “woke” and requested information regarding the investigation into its former diversity chief.
The New York Republican slammed the curriculum of the Defense Department’s Education Activity schools.
The congresswoman charged that the program included “radical thinking” that was inappropriate for schools. Stefanik said that the Pentagon also failed to “provide transparency” in an investigation into its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) head Kelisa Wing.
Kelisa Wing (the chief diversity officer in the education wing at the DOD) is currently on defense, over some things she wrote on Twitter about white people.
“I’m exhausted with these white folx in the [professional development] sessions.”https://t.co/BSk4bRHP0j
— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) February 17, 2023
According to Stefanik, Wing’s own books saw a sharp increase in sales since she was investigated. Stefanik said that the Biden White House allowed for Wing’s writings to be used within their classrooms, even while Wing is under investigation.
Rep. Stefanik represents the region in New York featuring Fort Drum, a crucial backbone of the U.S. military.
Stefanik’s concerns about such issues are not new. She introduced a bill to Congress allowing servicemembers to have a say in their children’s education in Defense Department schools. Stefanik said that she would “continue to advance to support military families.”
Stefanik also called on the Pentagon to release its findings into Wing’s writings and racial ideology.
Wing came under investigation by the Department of Defense after a number of disparaging comments about white people were uncovered.
Wing wrote in a tweet that she was tired of “white folx in these PD sessions this lady actually had the CAUdacity to say that black people can be racist too.”
She also wrote that she was “exhausted by 99% of the white men in education and 95% of the white women. When can I get a break from white nonsense for a while?”
Wing also used her Twitter account to insult former President Donald Trump. She was appointed during the term of his successor, becoming the Pentagon’s head of D.E.I. at the end of 2021.
Wing later deleted or deactivated her Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.
Stefanik’s concerns are likely to increase attention on the curriculum in Pentagon schools and whether or not it will conclude its investigation into Wing and her beliefs.
