A nominee for the second-highest Pentagon personnel job has reportedly withdrawn after a 2017 article he co-wrote claiming “multiculturalism” plays a role in domestic terrorism surfaced. According to Politico, J. David Patterson was nominated to be the principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. One source said Patterson lost Capitol Hill support in the weeks following his nomination after word began spreading of the op-ed piece he co-wrote for The Federalist, which came out days after an immigrant from Uzbekistan allegedly killed eight by driving a truck into pedestrians in New York.

The op-ed claimed immigrants failing to “assimilate into an adopted culture” was leading to terrorist behavior in the U.S. “By growing evidence, promoting ‘multiculturalism’ is a major culprit. We certainly don’t discount the influence of ISIS’ ubiquitous propaganda, but to be compelling there must be a willing mind,” the piece read. “Multiculturalism is the antithesis of what the United States stands for and the foundational thinking of our founding fathers that sustains America as its own unique society.” Patterson, his current employer SMA Inc., the Pentagon and the White House have not spoken publicly on the matter.