Yahoo News – Howard Koplowitz

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao warned of rampant “witchcraft” in a California city while running for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia two years ago as a Republican.

Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran who lost to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in the 2024 election, said he was running for Senate in part to prevent witchcraft from establishing a foothold in Virginia.

“There’s a place in Monterrey, California, called Lovers Point. The original name was Lovers of Christ Point. But now it’s become – they took out the Christ – it’s Lovers Point. Monterrey is a really dark place now, a lot of witchcraft. The Wiccan community has really taken over there,“ Cao said in a 2023 interview with far-right pastor and musician Sean Feucht.

”We can’t let that happen to Virginia.”

“Virginia, especially down in Roanoke, they’re God-loving people. Richmond, too. And Virginia Beach,” Cao continued. “And we just need to mobilize Christians across the nation …”

Cao became acting secretary of the Navy on Wednesday after John Phelan left his post.

No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the Navy’s top civilian official, coming as the sea service has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the war, the Associated Press reported.

Phelan’s departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several other top generals, admirals and defense leaders since taking office last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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