Truth be told, this is highly unlikely, given the nature of the individuals suggested. One swears he doesn’t drink, citing the tragic death of his brother from alcoholism as the reason. He’s repeated this claim in interviews, speeches, and even on podcasts, saying things like: “I never have. No drugs, no drinking, no cigarettes.” That same man is quite the liar, and multiple bartenders say they served him alcohol at clubs in the 1990s. The claims suggest he might sip slowly on light beer, usually Miller Lite or Bud Light, or he might have champagne. That man loved the nightlife, often appearing with his good friends, who were known pedophiles at the time. Jeffrey Epstein and John Casablancas loved young women. The man in question loved a range of women, some of whom were as young as thirteen, and he said that he forced himself on them. If a man has sex with minors, he meets the definition of a pedophile, even if he still engages in sex with adults.
The other, only recently, used to show up at work displaying signs of drunkenness. There is a “sustained record of allegations” that he drank heavily at times during his career at Fox News. Multiple outlets catalogued video clips and incidents that critics cite as evidence. During his confirmation hearings, that man made the unusual promise that he would not take a drink if given the job of Secretary of Defense. Soon after his confirmation, he changed his title to Secretary of War. Does that mean that any drink he takes now doesn’t break his promise? An Alcoholic will be considered one for the rest of their life, even if they never take another drink. We are depending on the willpower of a man who cheated on his first two wives. Of course, the first man cheated on all three of his.
The third man is more of an enigma. We don’t see him engaging publicly in various behaviors, but we know him by the company he keeps. According to white nationalist leader Richard Spencer, the pair were friends in college. Katie McHugh, a former Breitbart editor, leaked 900+ emails between herself and Miller from 2015–2016. In those emails, Miller promoted VDARE, a white nationalist site. He shared content from American Renaissance (a white supremacist publication) and recommended The Camp of the Saints, a racist novel popular among neo-Nazis. McHugh herself later renounced the far right and exposed these communications.
Miller regularly emailed Breitbart editors with white nationalist content and framing. He shaped their immigration coverage using material from hate-linked sources. This shows strategic collaboration, not just ideological overlap.
Where labeling the three figures as a pedophile, a skinhead, and an alcoholic gets confusing is the overlap. While the pedophile would never be confused with an alcoholic. He has all the ties to white nationalists, as does the skinhead. The alcoholic is equally tied to white nationalism as judged by the tattoos on his body and the words that come out of his mouth. The pedophile and alcoholic were serial cheaters, while the skinhead keeps a relatively low social profile.
The likelihood of this trio ever showing up together is slim, though I’d like to think it’s possible. I’d much rather see them having a drink together in a bar, even if two of them were having a Diet Coke or Club Soda, because they would be doing far less harm in the bar than if they were in their respective offices—one of them Oval.
I don’t know what it says about America that the people in positions to send troops to war, whether in foreign entanglements or major American cities, are of such low character. The public elected the pedophile, though many have since changed their minds. The Senate approved the alcoholic, while the skinhead was placed in a position needing no approval, because no one was prepared to defend his record. Their character flaws were known before they assumed their positions, but enough people were willing to overlook them so they didn’t matter.
I’m reminded that accountability rarely arrives on its own. It must be demanded, documented, and repeated until the record can no longer be rewritten. This story ends where so many American stories do: with the understanding that the truth is available, but only to those willing to confront it without flinching. We all know the truth; the question is, what are we willing to do with that truth?
Previously Published on Medium
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