Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth torched a woke senator who launched fierce ad hominem attacks against him during a tense Senate hearing, defending himself after the senator said that he had turned the Pentagon into a “dysfunctional mess” and made wildly erroneous claims about Hegseth and President Trump.
For context, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, June 17, 2025, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) fiercely criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, describing him as being unqualified to head up the Pentagon based on his past actions. Moreover, the senator said that the Defense Secretary had turned the Department of Defense into a “dysfunctional mess. In response, Secretary Hegseth stood his ground, wholeheartedly rejecting the senator’s characterization of his decision-making and arguing that no one should be in charge of national security policy except for Pentagon personnel and the president.
During the hearing, Sen. Hirono said that Sec. Hegseth “had a tough start” at his confirmation hearing, adding, “My Democratic colleagues and I rightly questioned whether you had the requisite qualifications and experience to lead the DOD, the largest federal agency, especially given your checkered past, which included paying $50,000 in hush money to settle a sexual assault allegation against you and driving two veterans organizations into the ground.”
Continuing to tear into the Defense Secretary, the senator said, “After only months on the job, our concerns about you have proven true.” She went on, “As far as I’m concerned, instead of strengthening national security, you’ve turned the Pentagon into a dysfunctional mess.” The senator then added, “You are jeopardizing military operations and service members’ lives with your unprecedented action of texting classified military plans to anyone who might stroke your ego.”
Moreover, Sen. Hirono criticized Secretary Hegseth for deploying Marines and National Guard members in Los Angeles “without the request or consent of the California governor or the Los Angeles Mayor.” She continued, “You claim lethality is your top priority. Do you plan to unleash this lethal force against us, citizens and civilians in LA and other cities?”
Staying cool, calm, and collected as usual, Secretary Hegseth responded, “Well, Senator, I would reject most of the characterization of that statement, including lethality against US cities when all of those National Guard [and] Marines had conducted themselves with the utmost of professionalism, defending our federal agents, Americans, we deserve to be able to do their job.”
However, the senator was apparently unsatisfied with Sec. Hegseth’s response, saying, “Given this regime’s dangerous policy of mobilizing troops inside the US, the politicizing of the military is a legitimate concern.” She added, “So, given the dangerous policy of mobilizing troops inside the US, if ordered by the President, ‘I’m going to ask you, once again, to shoot peaceful protesters in the legs,’ Would you carry out such an order from the President?”
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Defending himself from the senator’s attack, the secretary said that she was attempting to “smear the commander-in-chief” by characterizing him as giving such orders. The senator pushed back, “Will you follow a court’s order regarding whether or not this deployment is legal?” The senator replied, “It’s pending in the courts, senator.” He then added, “I don’t believe district courts should be determining national security policy.”
Watch the exchange:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video