Pentagon Defends Hegseth Faith Adviser Who Shared Racist Posts and Called LGBTQ People a 'Satanic Cult' and Abortion 'Demonic'

The Pentagon has defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's senior religious adviser Ryan Higgins after a CNN investigation found that he shared racist and homophobic posts, promoted election conspiracy theories, and described LGBTQ people as a 'satanic cult' and abortion as 'demonic human sacrifice'.

Higgins has also denigrated Muslims and immigrants while helping shape Hegseth's Christian nationalist messaging and efforts to establish a new Office of Religious Affairs.

'He has been completely focused on the spiritual health of our troops and the historic establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs,' Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said, calling Higgins a 'valued member' of Hegseth's team who 'does an outstanding job serving as a senior adviser.'

Higgins' Posts Continue Into Pentagon Tenure

CNN reviewed hundreds of social media posts, video streams, and archived blog entries spanning roughly a decade. While many of Higgins' most inflammatory comments predated his Pentagon appointment, he continued expressing far-right views after joining the administration.

In March, Higgins railed against what he called 'the satanic cult of LGBTQ.' In June, he described a same-sex couple adopting a child as 'two dudes buying babies.' He also characterised abortion as 'Demonic human sacrifice packaged as "women's healthcare".'

Hegseth has made Christianity increasingly prominent in his Pentagon activities, including monthly Christian worship services and speeches emphasising what he describes as the military's spiritual struggle. Higgins has also helped advance plans for the new Office of Religious Affairs, which Hegseth announced in September.

From Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric to Religious Nationalism

Higgins' record of inflammatory comments stretches back years. During the 2020 pandemic, he opposed restrictions on churches. He also compared pandemic measures to Nazism and shared posts invoking Holocaust imagery, including references to Jews wearing the Star of David and wedding rings taken from Holocaust victims.

After Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, Higgins promoted claims that the result was stolen. He said he had bought an assault rifle and tactical equipment, declared that Biden had not won, and wrote that the election could be stolen only 'over my cold dead body.'

Following the 6th January 2021 Capitol riot, Higgins blamed antifa for the violence, questioned why many people arrested were Democrats or Black Lives Matter supporters, and called for further resistance, insisting that the election had been rigged.

His distrust of elections continued in office. Ahead of the 2026 midterms, he wrote that he had 'exactly 0% faith' in US elections and called for officials to be fired, claiming the elections were fake. In August, he reportedly called for media organisations and elected officials accused of covering up alleged 2020 election crimes to be prosecuted.

Higgins has also repeatedly attacked Muslims and immigrants. In January, he claimed immigrants and asylum seekers were 'destroying the entire planet.' The following month, he described people from what he called 'barbaric cultures' as 'absolute animals'.

He questioned whether Muslims would eventually dethrone Britain's monarchy and wrote that 'Islam teaches death to all who do not comply.' He also insisted that the US is a Christian nation and declared that the 'Separation of Church and State does not exist.'

Attacks on Women, LGBTQ People, and Black Americans

Higgins has described same-sex marriage as 'abominable', opposed gay parenthood, and attacked Pride Month. He even called transgender identity a 'mental disorder' and urged transgender people to 'find Jesus'.

His posts about women had also triggered backlash. He argued that no career could provide the fulfilment found in motherhood, urged women to marry young and have more children, and criticised Democratic politicians over their personal lives.

In 2024, he claimed Kamala Harris advanced politically through 'immoral philandering' and because of her gender and race.

Higgins also defended Trump's video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, arguing that he did not understand why the imagery was more racist than similar depictions of Biden. In 2020, he denied that the US had a systemic racism problem and attacked Black Lives Matter protesters.

Hegseth has also faced criticism over changes to Pentagon leadership, including the departures or removals of senior military officials and concerns about the treatment of women and Black officers. Those personnel changes form part of a wider controversy over his leadership of the department, separate from CNN's findings about Higgins' social media posts.