Exclusive: Congress probes Naval Academy inviting anti-Trump, “partisan historian” to deliver prestigious address
Lawmakers are probing the U.S. Naval Academy’s decision to invite historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat to deliver a now-postponed lecture, which they said in a letter first obtained by the Washington Reporter could go against a Department of Defense directive that “bans active members of the military, including administrators and teachers at the academy, from engaging in ‘partisan political activities.’”
“Prior to the cancellation of her appearance, Dr. Ben-Ghiat stated that she was planning to ‘speak about what happens to militaries under authoritarian rule,’” the lawmakers wrote. “While on the surface this lecture would seem to be academically significant for our naval midshipmen, Dr. Ben-Ghiat’s own statements provided clear concern that she would have used this highly-respected platform to make unsubstantiated politicized claims against one of the presidential nominees just 25 days before the 2024 election.”
Ben-Ghiat planned to touch on “Fascist Italy, Pinochet’s Chile and the Russian military during the war on Ukraine,” she wrote on her blog. In the same blog post, she said that President Donald Trump has an “authoritarian character, desire to destroy democratic values and ideals, and loyalty to autocrats who see the powerful U.S. military as an obstacle to their geopolitical aims.”
The Naval Academy, which did not initially publicize Ben-Ghiat’s address, has not addressed the controversy. Lawmakers want to know by what process Ben-Ghiat was invited, whether other speakers were considered, and what steps the Naval Academy will take “to ensure that future speakers at the Bancroft Lecture series reflect the Academy’s commitment to impartiality and intellectual rigor, particularly on politically sensitive topics.”
The letter, led by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R., Va.), also said that “Dr. Ben-Ghiat is entitled to her opinions about former President Trump and our great nation’s Constitution ensures she has the right to voice them. However, the United States Naval Academy — a federal service academy — is not the appropriate venue” for someone to attack a former and potentially future Commander in Chief. Kiggans is herself a ten-year Navy veteran.
Kiggans was joined in authoring the letter by Reps. Nick LaLota (R., N.Y.), Guy Reschenthaler (R., Pa.), Mike Waltz (R., Fla.), Jack Bergman (R., Mich.), Clay Higgins (R., La.), Rich McCormick (R., Ga.), Sam Graves (R., Mo.), Ronny Jackson (R., Texas), Brandon Williams (R., N.Y.), August Pfluger (R., Texas), Brad Wenstrup (R., Ohio), Cory Mills (R., Fla.), Barry Loudermilk (R., Ga.), Mark Green (R., Tenn.), Derrick Van Orden (R., Wis.), and Mike Garcia (R., Calif.).
