Donald Trump‘s Defence Secretary has adapted lines from Pulp Fiction falsely attributed to the Bible, while giving a sermon at the Pentagon.
Pete Hegseth was speaking at a worship service at the government complex when he read the prayer.
He said he had been given it by the “lead mission planner” of the rescue mission for two Air Force crew who were shot down over Iran.
“The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” Hegseth prayed.
“Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherd the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen.”
The first few lines of the prayer were written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary in the film Pulp Fiction.
In the movie, the character played by Samuel L Jackson falsely claims they are from the Bible passage Ezekiel 25:17.
The second part of the verse is taken from the Bible, in a condemnation of the Philistines and the Cherethims, foes of the Israelites in the 5th Century BC.
In the movie, Jackson’s character utters the verse before gunning down a small-time criminal who owed his gangster boss money.
But Hegseth’s prayer changed “the LORD” in the Bible so it was instead about the unit involved in the rescue.
Hegseth has been holding regular church services in the Pentagon in recent months.
His comments overnight came as House Democrats filed articles of impeachment against him.
Nine Democrats accused him of war crimes, abuse of power and mishandling the Department of Defence.
Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said Hegseth was “violating his oath, endangering US servicemembers, and committing war crimes, including attacks on civilians and a girls’ school in Minab, Iran.
“Only Congress can declare war; his actions demand immediate removal,” she said.
With Republicans holding a majority in both chambers of Congress, it is unlikely the impeachment will succeed.
A simple majority in the House of Representatives is required, followed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
No cabinet official has ever been removed from office via an impeachment, but Secretary of War William Belknap resigned before a vote in 1876.
