Republican senators slam Navy over ‘inappropriate’ drag queen ‘digital ambassador’
More than a dozen GOP senators want answers from the US Navy following revelations the service enlisted an active-duty drag queen to serve as a “digital ambassador.”
The senators accused the Navy of skirting professional standards and noted Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley’s use of TikTok, which has been the subject of ongoing national security concerns and is banned for use on government devices.
“While we understand the importance of social media for modern recruiting, we are concerned about both the promotion of a banned app and behavior that many deem inappropriate in a professional workplace,” the senators wrote in a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.
Kelley, who identifies as non-binary, was named one of five Navy Digital Ambassadors as part of a pilot program that lasted between October and March. on Monday the program was “designed to explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates” amid “the most challenging recruiting environment it has faced since the start of the all-volunteer force,”
Kelley’s stage name is Harpy Daniels and they told the in August 2022 they began dressing in drag long before joining the Navy.
Kelley has and their journey in the service.
“The bottom line is that the Navy should not be promoting use of TikTok, an app banned on Department devices, on the personal devices of servicemembers or its ‘ambassadors,’” the senators wrote.
“At a time when our nation’s military is facing a recruiting crisis, it is as important as ever to reach broader swaths of the eligible population — but not at the cost of privacy, security, or professionalism,” the letter added.
“The Navy should follow both the letter and spirit of the law as well as its own social media policies as it seeks to modernize its recruiting campaigns.”
Last fiscal year, the Navy barely achieved its 33,400 recruitment target for new sailors, , but came up short of its 2,507 target for active duty officer promotions and missed its goal of 1,360 reserve officers by almost 400, per the report.
At the moment, the Navy is seeking to grow its size from 341,736 in fiscal year 2023 to 347,000 members in 2024, .
The letter was signed by Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
The senators have asked Del Toro for information about the status of the pilot program — including data on its effectiveness and any compensation provided to ambassadors.
They also want to know if the Navy is “actively encouraging” recruiters to use TikTok on their personal devices in spite of the federal prohibition.
Del Toro has until May 24 to respond.
