US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth read a fake Bible verse from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 cult classic film Pulp Fiction on Wednesday, during a Christian prayer and worship service at the Pentagon.
Addressing a large Christian congregation at the Pentagon's headquarters, Hegseth, who is facing multiple impeachment charges tabled by House Democrats, claimed the prayer was passed to him by a lead mission planner involved in the rescue operation for two US Air Force crew members who were recently shot down in Iran.
Before reciting the prayer, Hegseth said it was titled "CSAR 2517", alluding to the Biblical verse Ezekiel 25:17.
"The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men," Hegseth said.
"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," he added.
The first few lines of the prayer were written by Tarantino and Roger Avary for the hit film Pulp Fiction. The second part of the verse is taken from the Bible, where the speaker condemns the Philistines and the Cherethims, who were alleged to be enemies of the Israelites.
In Pulp Fiction, the character played by Samuel L Jackson falsely claimed the entirety of the verse was Ezekiel 25:17. He utters the verse before executing a terrified young criminal.
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