Condemnations from American Jewish groups did not hinder the rise of the Pentagon’s new press secretary, who has a history of questioning U.S. military aid to Israel.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Friday that it promoted Kingsley Wilson from deputy press secretary to be the department’s press secretary.
The 26-year-old has a long history of controversial social media posts that have drawn the scrutiny of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and groups like the Anti-Defamation League, since she was hired at the Pentagon in February.
“Leo Frank raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl,” she wrote in 2023. “He also tried to frame a black man for his crime. The ADL is despicable.”
The trial and subsequent lynching of Frank, who was Jewish, over accusations that historians overwhelmingly believe to be spurious, prompted the founding of the ADL in 1913 and is widely regarded as one of the most infamous examples of antisemitic bigotry in U.S. history.
In 2024, Wilson wrote a message in support of Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany party. “Foreigners out. Germany for the Germans,” she wrote in German.
The American Jewish Committee told JNS on Friday that it stands by its previous assessment in March that Wilson’s comments are disqualifying.
“Anyone who posts antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook is unfit for public office,” Julie Fishman Rayman, managing director of policy and political affairs at the AJC, told JNS. (JNS sought comment from the Pentagon.)
Wilson also questioned why the United States helped Israel defend itself against Iranian ballistic missile attacks in 2024.
“Why is the U.S. military defending Israel and Ukraine’s border but not our own?” she asked in one of many posts skeptical of U.S. overseas military funding.
Her comments prompted Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) to call for her firing in March and even drew the ire of some Republicans.
“Trump doesn’t believe any of the things she’s talking about, and I’ll leave it up to them to determine if they think she’s the right spokesperson,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Politico.
“If what you say about these posts are true, then she’s completely off-script with President Trump,” the senator told the publication.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not seem to have any doubts about her promotion on Friday. “Make us proud,” he wrote.