On retired Army intelligence officer Sam Shoemate’s podcast, he interviews Mason Weiss, a former JAG Officer. Weiss submitted a Freedom of Information Act to the Army JAG Corps after he became concerned about what he was seeing, and what he’s learned so far is shocking.
Mason shares his concerns about the legal implications of these policies as well as the potential ramifications to the Army. He discusses the perceived shift in military culture and the potential consequences of prioritizing DEI over meritocracy and legal integrity.
What you’ll learn should wake you up to what’s being done to our armed forces, and despite DEI being ended by the Trump Administration, the reality is it’s still very much alive and laying dormant until another administration shows up to revive it.
Watch:
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the JAG Corps and Its Evolution
02:44 Mason Weiss: Background and Concerns
06:02 The Rise of DEI in the Military
12:46 Legal Implications of DEI Policies
20:12 The FOIA Request Journey
38:25 Findings from the FOIA Documents
39:22 Concerns Over FOIA and Allegations
41:03 The Cover-Up and Its Implications
42:58 The DEI Champion Award and Its Irony
43:54 The Woke Mind Virus in the JAG Corps
46:06 The Insanity of DEI Programs
47:40 Transgender Issues in the Military
48:45 The Need for Accountability and Transparency
50:10 Anecdotes from Military Experience
53:07 The Fear of Speaking Out
54:52 The Need for Apologies and Accountability
57:34 A Call for Change in the JAG Corps
01:00:55 The Importance of Character Over Identity
01:03:20 Affinity Groups and Their Implications
01:11:42 DEI Review and Legal Concerns
01:14:08 FLEP Program and Selection Criteria
01:16:26 Promotion Boards and Implicit Bias
01:21:58 Impact on Military Cohesion
01:29:03 The Role of DEI in Military Culture
01:35:10 The Need for Transparency and Accountability
Army JAG was assigning officers based on DEI checks, they had affinity groups, participation of which was allegedly a stepping stone for more coveted, senior positions, members of the Pride Affinity Group were actively working to subvert Trump’s removal of DEI in the military… https://t.co/i9wHwaKvyN pic.twitter.com/F4fAf4WWkN
— Shoe (@samosaur) February 5, 2026
Here are the 7,158 documents released from the FOIA sent to Army JAG in reference to the creation of the DEI program and how it bled into every aspect of the Army during the Biden Admin.
Citizen journalists, do your thing.https://t.co/nOMZAWlnQE https://t.co/i9wHwaKvyN
— Shoe (@samosaur) February 4, 2026
Disclaimer from Mason:
“1. I retired from active duty on 1 November 2019. I am not speaking on behalf of nor am I endorsed by DoD, the Army, the Army JAG Corps, or anyone but myself;
2. My interest in this issue is not personally motivated. That is, I do not believe I ever suffered a negative (or positive) consequence from the JAGC DEI initiatives. I don’t believe these initiatives took effect until after I retired.
3. If anything I have said so far publicly about this issue is untrue or inaccurate, or anything that I say on the podcast is untrue or inaccurate, I am happy to be corrected. But no one has yet contacted me to correct me; instead, they’ve only told me that everything I’ve said so far is accurate and that the problem was worse than I thought.
4. If you are a current member/leader in the Army JAG Corps (and I can see that some of you have been checking out my profile recently, repeatedly), you are welcome to contact me privately or respond here publicly, or to any of my previous posts. Or you may contact Sam Shoemate to have your input included for the show.
5. I am acting in good faith because I respect the Army and desire to see the institution succeed. I am proud of my service, but I believe that what the armed forces did with regard to DEI, and the Army JAGC, especially, were terrible mistakes that need to be exposed to sunlight. In my opinion, DEI was immoral, probably unconstitutional, and totally deleterious to good order and discipline and the Army Values. It was painful to watch this happen to an institution I love and to see the legal profession get sucked into the DEI nonsense and adopt it as their own, rather than fight it off.
6. Nothing that I have said or am going to say is personal against anyone. I know some of the people involved in this issue, or who were previously involved. I have deliberately not named anyone, nor tagged anyone in any LinkedIn post I have done so far, and I do not intend to do so. Most of the architects of this bad policy have since retired, and I do not wish to call them out publicly unless they want the attention. That said, I hope they will eventually come forward on their own and disavow these policies, or defend them if they still believe in them, rather than stay quiet.
7. Those still serving on active duty or as civilians who supported or orchestrated these things, in my opinion, should apologize for their roles. They, along with the current TJAG (who came in after this was all shut down), should apologize, commit never to reintroduce DEI, and retrain everyone appropriately. Those not willing to do that should, in my opinion, resign or be fired.
8. I believe what I have said on this issue and will continue saying represents the beliefs of many who are not in a position where they can speak up.”
Leave a Comment