album-art
00:00

Download Audio
Reading Time: 11 minutes [1813 words]

Mary Phagan-Kean

P.O. Box 2573 • 801 Industrial Blvd. • Ellijay, Georgia 30540

The Honorable Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301

27 June 2025

Dear Secretary Hegseth:

My name is Mary Phagan-Kean and I am the great-niece and namesake of “Little Mary Phagan,” who was brutally raped and murdered by B’nai B’rith leader Leo Frank on April 26, 1913. At the time, Leo Frank was the superintendent of the National Pencil Company, an Atlanta sweatshop using child labor that existed from 1908 to 1916.

On behalf of my family and our ancestors, many of whom served honorably in the armed forces, I express our gratitude for your support of Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson. Secretary Wilson has faced accusations of posting “antisemitic rhetoric” online.

On August 16, 2024, she tweeted:

“Leo Frank raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl. He also tried to frame a Black man for his crime. The ADL turned off the comments because they want to gaslight you.”

I urge you not to accept the deceitful tactics displayed in the June 24, 2025 letter sent to you by the Congressional Jewish Caucus which suggests that anyone who believes Leo Frank is guilty of the murder of my Great Aunt is a “neo-Nazi.” Such tactics are used by the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League to promote their underhanded revisionism of the case even today.

The facts of the case paint a clear picture that is fully aligned with Ms. Wilson’s point of view:

First, Ms. Wilson is factually correct in that Leo Frank was duly convicted of murder in a court of law on August 25, 1913—a verdict upheld through at least a dozen appeals and ultimately by the U.S. Supreme Court.

And second, Leo Frank actually tried to frame TWO Black men, both employees at the factory, even planting evidence to try to instigate their lynching. The details of these racist acts by Frank can be provided if requested.

And here are a few other facts that Frank’s defenders want us to ignore:

• The 21-member grand jury voted unanimously to indict Leo Frank—a grand jury that included five Jewish members.

• There is absolutely no evidence that the trial contained any “anti-Semitism” at all, and claims of “mob dominance” have been thoroughly debunked.

• At Leo Frank’s murder trial, ten girls employed at the factory testified under oath that Frank sexually harassed them, and two teenage girls stated that he made indecent proposals to them.

• Leo Frank received the longest and most expensive trial in Southern history at the time. Over 100 witnesses testified and Frank was represented by eight of the most prominent lawyers, one even being the former law partner of the presiding Judge Leonard Roan.

• The two private detective firms hired by Frank concluded and stated publicly that Leo Frank was the murderer.

And this is only a small sample of the overwhelming evidence that convinced the jurors, the judge, the citizens of Georgia, and Ms. Kingsley Wilson that Frank murdered my Great Aunt Mary Phagan. We have elaborated on these points on the Phagan Family website (http://www.littlemaryphagan.com) and in a series of newsletters that we have made available to the public.

The Phagan family has no objection to anyone expressing their opinions on this case but we do insist that the truth about this horrific crime is upheld. The Phagan family has stated that if there existed any clear-cut evidence that clears Leo Frank, we would support the reversal of his murder conviction. No such evidence has ever been presented.

Finally, Secretary Hegseth, please be assured that the statement made by Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson is fully backed by the facts and that you’ve rightly characterized the attack against Ms. Wilson in your testimony before Congress as “a mischaracterization attempting to win political points.”

Thank you.

[Signed]

Mary Phagan-Kean

P.S.: For further information, I have attached the “Phagan Family Position Paper” for your review.

CC: The President, The White House
Ms. Kingsley Wilson, United States Department of Defense Press Secretary

Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump
Pete Hegseth @PeteHegseth
Kingsley Wilson @KingsleyCortes

21 Democrats of the House Jewish Caucus

01. Laura Friedman – @LauraFriedmanCA

02. Jerrold Nadler – @RepJerryNadle

03. Bradley Scott Schneider – @Schneider4IL10

04. Suzanne Bonamici – @RepBonamici

05. Greg Landsman – @RepGregLandsman

06. Debbie Wasserman Schultz – @RepDWStweets

07. Lois Frankel – @LoisFrankel

08. Sara Jacobs – @RepSaraJacobs

09. Steve Cohen – @RepCohen

10. Brad Sherman – @BradSherman4SFV

11. Jamie Raskin – @RepRaskin

12. Dan Goldman – @RepDanGoldman

13. Seth Magaziner – @Rep_Magaziner

14. Jan Schakowsky – @janschakowsky

15. Jake Auchincloss – @RepAuchincloss

16. Eugene S. Vindman – @RepVindman

17. Kim Schrier,  @RepKimSchrier

18. Mike Levin,  @RepMikeLevin

19. Becca Balint, @RepMikeLevin

20. Josh Gottheimer, @RepJoshG

21. Jared Moskowitz,  @RepMoskowitz

Re: House Jewish Caucus presses Hegseth over press secretary Kingsley Wilson’s antisemitic rants
In a letter, the 21 Democrats argue that the remarks are 'not isolated or ambiguous and have long been associated with violence and hate'
Source

Rod Marc. (2025, June 24). House Jewish Caucus presses Hegseth over press secretary Kingsley Wilson’s antisemitic rants. Jewish Insider. Retrieved from  https://jewishinsider.com/2025/06/house-jewish-caucus-presses-hegseth-over-press-secretary-kingsley-wilsons-antisemitic-rants 

APPENDIX

The 21 members of the House Jewish Caucus — all Democrats — pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a letter sent on Tuesday expressing concerns about Kingsley Wilson, the recently promoted Pentagon press secretary with a history of antisemitic and otherwise controversial comments.

“Recent public reporting has highlighted a series of deeply troubling and offensive statements made by Kingsley Wilson, now serving as Pentagon Press Secretary,” the letter reads. “These statements include promoting the antisemitic and racist ‘Great Replacement’ theory, praising far-right political movements using slogans tied to neo-Nazi groups, and repeating patently false statements commonly circulated in neo-Nazi circles about Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was lynched by an antisemitic mob in Georgia in 1915.”

The letter argues that the remarks are “not isolated or ambiguous and have long been associated with violence and hate” and “their presence boldly and unrepentantly plastered in the public record of a senior Department official raises serious questions about the Department’s commitment to opposing extremism and antisemitism.”

Hegseth, at a recent Senate hearing, defended Wilson and said her comments had been mischaracterized for political gain, but also said he’d need to see her comments in full to evaluate them.

The lawmakers asked Hegseth whether the remarks are acceptable for a senior Pentagon employee in a public-facing role, how the Pentagon evaluates whether public statements necessitate disciplinary action, any steps the administration has taken in the past in response to antisemitic comments from Pentagon employees and whether Hegseth personally finds the comments acceptable for a representative of the Defense Department.

“We look forward to promptly receiving your reply. In the meantime, we urge the Department to affirm its responsibility to uphold the highest ethical standards,” the lawmakers wrote. “That includes an unambiguous commitment to confronting and unequivocally condemning antisemitism — especially within its own ranks — and ensuring that individuals who promote hate are quickly and appropriately held accountable.”

The letter was led by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) and co-signed by caucus co-chairs Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) and co-signed by Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Mike Levin (D-CA), Becca Balint (D-VT), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).

Wilson’s record has also previously elicited concern from Republicans (https://jewishinsider.com/2025/03/kingsley-wilson-pentagon-press-secretary-antisemitism-senate-republicans)

Full APA Source

Rod, M. (2025, June 24). House Jewish Caucus presses Hegseth over press secretary Kingsley Wilson’s antisemitic rants. Jewish Insider. Retrieved from https://jewishinsider.com/2025/06/house-jewish-caucus-presses-hegseth-over-press-secretary-kingsley-wilsons-antisemitic-rants

* * *

GOP Concerns

Senate Republicans unsettled by antisemitic Pentagon press secretary

Sen. Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services Committee chair, said he’s concerned about Wilson and investigating the situation

[Image Kingsley Wilson}

By Emily Jacobs |  March 12, 2025

Kingsley Wilson’s appointment as deputy press secretary for the Pentagon has caused consternation among pro-Israel Republicans on Capitol Hill given her long record espousing antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Wilson’s repeated claims on social media about Leo Frank, the since-pardoned Jewish man whose controversial rape and murder conviction and subsequent lynching over a century ago in Atlanta spurred the creation of the Anti-Defamation League, her vocal opposition to U.S. aid to Israel and her amplification of Kremlin talking points have left some Republicans uneasy about her serving in the role.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Jewish Insider that he was aware of the controversy surrounding Wilson and was in the process of investigating it further. “I’m concerned about it and looking into it,” Wicker said of Wilson.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said he expected Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resolve the matter in some way. “Obviously I don’t agree with her comments. I trust the Pentagon will address this,” Scott, who serves on SASC and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told JI in a statement.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), the GOP co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, described Wilson’s comments as some “weird stuff.” He noted that “this would be the third” hire “in the DoD” who had caused concerns about “their level of support for Israel” or due to making “antisemitic comments.”

“So yes, I have some questions, and I think those are fair questions,” Lankford told JI.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), who also serves on SASC, said he was not familiar with the specifics of the situation and wanted to refrain from weighing in before being briefed. “I’ll comment when I see it, but typically, I’m very opposed to that kind of rhetoric,” Sullivan said.

Many Republicans have, until now, been reticent to speak publicly about Wilson or claimed to be unaware of her record.

Given permission to comment anonymously in order to speak candidly, several Republicans expressed confusion as to why Wilson was hired in the first place given her social media presence.

“I mean, I expect the secretary of defense to look into people’s background to make sure they’re going to do the right thing before hiring them,” one Republican told JI.

“Yes there is concern, but there’s concern about the whole direction of decades-long leadership at the Pentagon. A lot of senators are trying to look at the big picture and support the president, but it’s hard,” a senior GOP senator said, referencing the numerous appointments and nominations at the Pentagon that have raised alarm bells over their anti-Israel, or in this case antisemitic, views.

A Pentagon spokesperson referred Jewish Insider to Wilson directly for comment on the concerns. She did not respond.

APA Source

Jacobs, Emily. (2025, March 12). Senate Republicans unsettled by antisemitic Pentagon press secretary. Jewish Insider. Retrieved from https://jewishinsider.com/2025/03/kingsley-wilson-pentagon-press-secretary-antisemitism-senate-republicans

 

Related Posts