Part of it was context. At the time all this was happening, DEI was out of control in the country, and in the military. West Point had established a DEI minor (and blocked the establishment of a Strategic Studies minor) and had other policies that people could reasonably attribute to DEI. Plus a group of grads in graduate school (i.e. brand-new lieutenants) wrote
a terrible DEI-themed hit piece about West Point that portrayed the Academy in an extremely poor light and included insisting that senior leaders such as the Commandant acknowledge their "white privilege." There was also a lot of talk in the country about how "America was never great" etc., and this seemed, to them, like another step down that path.
Much like the intel about the Iraq WMDs, it seemed plausible at the time.
