A religious scholar called out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for telling a “fictitious story” about George Washington during a pre-taped appearance at Sunday’s “Rededicate 250” America-themed prayer event on the Washington Mall.

Prominent Republicans and Trump administration officials participated in the event, including Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). President Donald Trump appeared on the big screen via a pre-taped segment where he read a Bible passage.

In his pre-taped message, Hegseth regaled the crowd with a story of George Washington praying in the snow at Valley Forge in 1777.

“We know the painting of him at Valley Forge — one hangs in my office — kneeling in the deep snow, his hat and sword nearby,” Hegseth said. “Washington bows his head. Amid all the bleak nights, the loss and despair, the lack of proper support, George Washington performed a profound act — he prayed. And on this day of Rededicate 250, let us follow George Washington’s example. Let us pray, as he did. Let us pray without ceasing. Let us pray for our nation on bended knee. And let us ask our lord and savior Jesus Christ, as Washington did on that momentous day, so help us God.”

Robert P. Jones, the president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute, told CNN Monday that the scene depicted in the painting Hegseth referenced didn’t actually happen.

“I think what was notable to me is that when you listen to the full prayer of Pete Hegseth, for example, who you had praying there — he gave a fictitious account of George Washington that historians say isn’t true…an apocryphal story about Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge. It’s a painting you’ll see all over Christian nationalist sites,” Jones said, continuing:

But what’s notable there is that he prayed, he said, “as Washington did, in the name of Jesus Christ our lord,” right? So, this very, again, sectarian thing. That was the thing over and over. It wasn’t just ‘God bless America.’ A more general sense of…God or kind of theocratic reference. It was really this very specific claim to “our lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” which is like one evangelical formulation of Christianity. And so you ask, well, how does this affect the 28% of Americans who are not religiously affiliated at all? How does it affect Buddhists or Muslims or Jews? Like, those sentiments don’t resonate. I think that was the thing that was striking to me. It wasn’t just a sort of “God bless America” kind of event. It was really a “reclaim the country for this one sector of Christianity” kind of event.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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