(KRON) -- Unusual comments have surfaced from the man who was appointed to temporarily lead the United States Navy following the abrupt resignation of the Navy secretary on Wednesday. Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao was elevated to acting Navy secretary following the departure of John Phelan. However, in the wake of Cao's appointment, past comments from the Navy combat veteran and former Republican Senate candidate are drawing new scrutiny. In just unearthed remarks from 2023, Cao claimed that witches had taken over Monterey on California's Central Coast. World’s first sushi burrito, founded in SF, shutting down operations During his campaign for the Senate in Virginia, Cao spoke to far-right influencer Sean Feucht about Monterey and nearby Lovers Point -- which for the record, is in Pacific Grove, not Monterey. Hung Cao speaks during the Republican National Convention Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) During the interview, he told the host that Monterey was a "really dark place" that was home to "a lot of witchcraft." "There's a place in Monterey, California, called Lovers Point. The original name was Lovers of Christ Point. But now it's become -- they took out the Christ - it's Lovers Point. Monterey is a really dark place now, a lot of witchcraft. The Wiccan community has really taken over there." "We can't let that happen in Virginia," he added. Lovers Point was once called "Lovers of Jesus Point," according to the Monterey County Historical Society. According to a report in Monterey County Now, there was a "witches Meetup group" in the area once, but the percentage of the local population that identifies as witches is less than 0.5 of 1%. ...read more read less