Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced an intense grilling on Capitol Hill today, as a routine hearing on the 2026 Pentagon budget request erupted into a dramatic confrontation over the deployment of 4,700 troops to Los Angeles.
Senator Elissa Blair Slotkin (D-MI) accused Hegseth of betraying democratic principles and declaring his predecessor had “more balls” for refusing a similar order.
The fireworks began when Senator Slotkin tore into Hegseth, revisiting concerns she’d voiced during his confirmation hearing. Her primary fear, she reminded him, was the “potential use of the military in ways that contradict the Constitution or that taint…an apolitical military.”
Slotkin then dropped a bombshell, contrasting Hegseth’s actions with those of former Defense Secretary Mark Esper. She recounted how Esper reportedly defied President Trump’s order to deploy active-duty troops against unarmed protesters – an order she said Hegseth had previously dismissed as “theoretical.”
“Here we are, a few months later, you’ve deployed 4,700 troops to Los Angeles and against the wishes of the governor,” Slotkin blasted, her voice rising. She emphasized the historical significance, noting it was “the first time since 1965 deployed guard troops without the permission of the governor.” Past deployments, she stressed, were to protect protestors, not confront them.
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Hegseth’s curt reply, “Senator, I’d be careful what you read in books,” ended the dramatic exchange, leaving a cloud of concern hanging over the Pentagon’s role in domestic affairs.
Hegseth is a weasel who never has a straight answer for anyone.
