MSNBC’s Chris Jansing welcomed former Missouri Attorney General Jason Kander to her Wednesday show to discuss Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering that the USNS Harvey Milk be renamed. Jansing could not tell the difference between civil rights icons and liberal icons as she asked if renaming such ships was “part of a politicization of the armed forces?” Correspondent Courtney Kube set the scene, “It's a replenishment or a support ship for other U.S. Navy ships, but it's part of a class of John Lewis ships that were named after civil rights icons. And according to officials, we're speaking here, speaking with here at the Department of Defense. While the Harvey, the Harvey Milk has been ordered to be renamed, other ships are still under consideration. As you mentioned, one named after Thurgood Marshall, after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, after Cesar Chavez. Those are still under consideration, but have not yet been ordered. As for the Department of Defense and the timing of this, they are saying that this is, according to a spokesperson here, this is in keeping with the priorities set by the commander in chief, Chris.”     A look at the John Lewis-class reveals that some ships, such as the Harriet Tubman, are named after true civil rights icons, while others, such as the Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are just named after liberal heroes, but Jansing could not tell the difference. She asked Kander, “All right. So, Jason, reaction. We heard from one veteran that this does nothing to help crew members prepare for war. I mean, the military has long been something that's supposed to be outside of politics. Do you see this move as part of a politicization of the armed forces?” Kander, an Army vet, told Jansing what she wanted to hear, “Yeah. This is what happens when you put a Fox News host in charge of the Pentagon. I mean, everything looks like a tweet, and that's what he's doing. I mean, this is like a tweet to troll gay people during Pride Month. I mean, it's pretty immature. It also is representative of the 80s action movie way that these folks in the Trump Administration see the military.” He also alluded to allegations of extremism that Hegseth has denied, “And certainly clearly the way Pete Hegseth sees the military. He talks constantly about trying to restore a warrior culture in the United States military. Well, I mean, Pete Hegseth may be confused because he was asked to leave the United States military because of the way he behaved.” Kander concluded by claiming: We should remember that it's not a bad thing to remind those who are serving what they're serving for, what they're fighting for. And if you want to talk about a warrior ethos, I mean, how about somebody who joins the military during a war as an officer, gets kicked out over their own objections, and then goes on to fight for civil rights and gives their life for the cause. That's probably the kind of thing that we want to remind our service members that America is about, and what we're fighting for in the first place. Contrary to Jansing and Kander’s claim, not naming Navy ships after liberal activists will preserve the military’s apolitical nature. At this point, a liberal might object and ask about all the aircraft carriers named after modern Republicans, but all of those were either naval war heroes (Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush), were big champions of naval power by placing the Navy at the forefront of their foreign policy (Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan), or won a world war (Dwight Eisenhower). The only real exception would be the upcoming George W. Bush, which was named by President Biden to accompany the Bill Clinton. To put it in perspective, what would Jansing and Kander’s reaction be if Hegseth decided to name an oiler after Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia? Here is a transcript for the June 4 show: MSNBC Chris Jansing Reports 6/4/2025 12:18 PM ET COURTNEY KUBE: It's a replenishment or a support ship for other U.S. Navy ships, but it's part of a class of John Lewis ships that were named after civil rights icons. And according to officials, we're speaking here, speaking with here at the Department of Defense. While the Harvey, the Harvey Milk has been ordered to be renamed, other ships are still under consideration. As you mentioned, one named after Thurgood Marshall, after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, after Cesar Chavez. Those are still under consideration, but have not yet been ordered. As for the Department of Defense and the timing of this, they are saying that this is, according to a spokesperson here, this is in keeping with the priorities set by the commander in chief, Chris. CHRIS JANSING: All right. So, Jason, reaction. We heard from one veteran that this does nothing to help crew members prepare for war. I mean, the military has long been something that's supposed to be outside of politics. Do you see this move as part of a politicization of the armed forces? JASON KANDER: Yeah. This is what happens when you put a Fox News host in charge of the Pentagon. I mean, everything looks like a tweet, and that's what he's doing. I mean, this is like a tweet to troll gay people during Pride Month. I mean, it's pretty immature. It also is representative of the 80s action movie way that these folks in the Trump Administration see the military. And certainly clearly the way Pete Hegseth sees the military. He talks constantly about trying to restore a warrior culture in the United States military. Well, I mean, Pete Hegseth may be confused because he was asked to leave the United States military because of the way he behaved.  But if he had stuck around, he would have been reminded every day that this is the most lethal, most effective, and most professional military in the history of planet Earth. And that's the military that he inherited. So, when you say to sailors throughout the Navy, that is one of the branches that you're in charge of, that you cannot be gay and be part of the warrior ethos, the warrior mentality. Well, that's a real problem in a military that rightfully got rid of the law that forced Harvey Milk out of the military. We should remember that it's not a bad thing to remind those who are serving what they're serving for, what they're fighting for. And if you want to talk about a warrior ethos, I mean, how about somebody who joins the military during a war as an officer, gets kicked out over their own objections, and then goes on to fight for civil rights and gives their life for the cause. That's probably the kind of thing that we want to remind our service members that America is about, and what we're fighting for in the first place.