The Pentagon has defended Pete Hegseth's use of a prayer that resembled a fake Bible verse used by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction. The defense secretary had asked an audience to join him in prayer as he marked the rescue of a downed airman in Iran earlier this month. The prayer, named CSAR 25:17, was meant to reflect the passage of Exodus 25:11 and reads, "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of selfish and the tyranny of evil men". However, Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, acknowledged the similarities and dismissed any suggestion that Hegsetsh was misquoting the actual passage.