Judicial Watch Sues Defense Department Over Biden’s ‘Red Speech’

President Joe Biden attracted significant backlash last year with a fiery speech he delivered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Not only did the address include bitterly partisan attacks on a supposed “extremist” element within the Republican Party, but the ominous blood-red backdrop elicited a variety of disapproving remarks.

“Seriously, who gives a speech warning people about how dangerous Republicans are to democracy while having a background that looks like the Soviet Union and Hitler had a baby?” asked Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy in a tweet following the speech.

The president was also joined by a pair of Marines, which struck many viewers as off-putting — particularly considering the overall tone of his message. Now, the conservative advocacy group Judicial Watch is attempting to hold the Pentagon accountable for what it has dubbed a misuse of the military.

According to Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, the Department of Defense has been unwilling to provide relevant information regarding the decision to station the two Marines on either side of Biden during the speech.

“Biden’s infamous ‘Red Speech,’ which included the abuse of our Marines in its totalitarian imagery, painted a target on Trump and tens of millions of Americans for political suppression and worse,” he said. “And, to make matters worse, the Pentagon is violating federal law by hiding records about Biden’s misuse of our military in his attempt to intimidate Americans.”

As for the scope of the lawsuit, Judicial Watch indicated that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any military communications related to the setting of the Sept. 1 speech, asserting that the Defense Department “failed to comply” with a similar request submitted in October.

Biden relied heavily on his use of “MAGA” — an acronym for former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” platform — as a pejorative to attack his predecessor’s millions of supporters.

“There is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country,” the president said, claiming that such individuals “do not respect the Constitution,” “do not believe in the rule of law,” “do not recognize the will of the people,” and “refuse to accept the results of a free election.”