A senior U.S. Department of Defense official allegedly told a military leader that U.S. President Donald Trump did not want to “stand next to a black female officer” at a military event, the New York Times reported.The comments were related to a promotion controversy within the U.S. Army’s officer corps. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly removed four officers from the list of candidates for promotion to one-star general. Two of the officers are black and two are women.Such promotion lists are created by high-level military councils and are generally considered confidential until approved. In this case, Hegseth’s actions were criticized by some military leaders, who questioned whether the decision was appropriate or legal.The feud was exacerbated last year by disagreements between Hegers’ chief of staff, Ricky Buria, and Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, according to The New York Times. The conflict arose over the promotion of another officer. It was during that exchange that Bria allegedly stated that the President of the United States did not want to stand next to a black female officer at a military event.According to the New York Times, Driscoll was surprised by the comment and rejected the suggestion, telling Bria that “the president is not a racist or a sexist.” Driscoll later raised the issue with senior White House officials.Maj. Gen. Antoinette Gant was one of the officers affected by the promotion list changes and was later assigned to a different command and promoted to the two-star rank.Hegseth’s office denied ever making the comments about the president. A spokesman for his chief of staff called the allegation “completely false” and said the move was intended to sow division within the department.The Pentagon has not issued a public statement responding to specific allegations about presidential preferences or promotion decisions.
