Tag Archives: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Raw Story: ‘Went off the deep end’: Backlash hits sole Republican who demanded Hegseth be fired

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Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) still remains the only GOP lawmaker who called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be ousted from his position — and it could be costing him support, according to a Washington Post report.

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Bacon, a retired Air Force general, has split his constituents with his stance — though he stands firmly outside of his party’s line on Hegseth.

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Bacon is an Air Force veteran who has previously said his lack of support for Hegseth “had nothing to do with anything political … It’s just what’s right.”

His calls to remove Hegseth began after the secretary used an unclassified messaging app to share “highly sensitive details of a planned U.S. assault on Yemeni militants.” The chat included a journalist and later became known as “Signalgate.”

“I could have forgiven it if he had said, ‘I was wrong and I won’t do it again,’” Bacon said. “People make mistakes.” But instead, Hegseth “tried to deny it was a problem,” and he sought to shift the blame to the journalist, he said.

‘Went off the deep end’: Backlash hits sole Republican who demanded Hegseth be fired

https://www.rawstory.com/hegseth-2672113281

Rolling Stone: Transgender Troops Deserve the Right to Serve

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As Trump and Hegseth push to remove transgender troops, Republicans in Congress want to make the change irreversible

Commander Emily Shilling served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a combat aviator with over 60 missions. Fighter pilots are very hard for the military to find, nonetheless. Shilling will be removed from service by Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. So will many others, like former Navy SEAL Kristin Beck, who served 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, including with SEAL Team Six. She earned the Bronze Star with Combat “V,” the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Purple Heart. 

Shilling and Beck are heroes the military will never get back, and the absence of service members like them will make America less ready, endanger troops, and hurt recruiting efforts.

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Hegseth’s service could never compare to that of Shilling or Beck, even though Hegseth likes to pretend to be a Navy SEAL as he sycophantically follows them around the country during special events. Trump never served a day in his life. That is why it is odd to me and to many others that they are so adamant about preventing transgender troops — and likely, before his term ends, gay Americans — from serving in the armed forces. 

Transgender Troops Deserve the Right to Serve
As Trump and Hegseth push to remove transgender troops, Republicans in Congress introduced legislation to ensure the damage can’t be reversed.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-hegseth-transgender-military-troops-right-service-1235341979

Miami Herald: ‘Lying to Him’: Greene Slams Trump White House

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) criticized President Donald Trump’s advisers during an interview on former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast. She claimed that some in Trump’s inner circle are misinforming him. Greene also expressed concern about Trump’s foreign policy, particularly regarding the potential for renewed conflict with Iran.

Greene questioned, “Why on earth would we go over and occupy Ukraine and spend an untold amount of future American taxpayer dollars defending and mining their minerals as well as potentially putting American lives at risk and future war? Why don’t we just mine our own rare earth minerals that are tied up on federal lands that the government confiscated years ago?”

Greene noted during the interview that there are people “in the president’s ear” who are “lying to him,” but she did not specify who. Bannon challenged the notion of a divide between Trump and his base, prompting Greene to clarify that the true divide exists between Trump and establishment Republicans undermining his agenda.

I love it when these creeps feed on one another. It’s a dog-eat-dog world!

‘Lying to Him’: Greene Slams Trump White House
More for You

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lying-to-him-greene-slams-trump-white-house/ss-AA1EJq1V

Daily Beast: Princeton Student Newspaper Accuses Pete Hegseth of Plagiarism

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The school newspaper of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s alma mater published a report on Saturday suggesting that Hegseth plagiarized elements of his senior thesis.

The report from The Daily Princetonian alleges that Hegseth’s senior thesis, submitted in 2003, contained eight instances of “uncredited material, sham paraphrasing, and verbatim copying,” according to a review conducted by three plagiarism experts.

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While the experts consulted found that the instances of plagiarism in Hegseth’s thesis violated Princeton’s academic honesty regulations, their opinions on whether the violations were serious enough to matter differed.

Princeton Student Newspaper Accuses Hegseth of Plagiarism
A report from “The Daily Princetonian” alleges that the Defense Secretary plagiarized parts of his senior thesis.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-pete-hegseth-plagiarize-his-senior-thesis-at-princeton-the-schools-paper-thinks-so

NJ.com: Report: Trump double-dealing is about to reach new heights — literally

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Turns out, the most corrupt presidency in American history is about to soar to even greater double-dealing heights.

What do you give to a president who already has enriched himself and his family by an average of $1 billion per month since taking office?

What could a guy — the most powerful man on the planet, who is planning 20 branded real estate projects around the globe — possibly want?

ABC News reports that Donald Trump — who told American families they’d have to cut back on dolls and pencils while accepting financial hardship for the good of the nation and his tariff-fueled ego — is about to accept a gift-wrapped $400 million “flying palace.”

In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar— a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.

The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Trump toured the plane, which is so opulently configured it is known as “a flying palace,” while it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.

One of those 20 planned international real estate developments includes golf course and residential project in Qatar, according to Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington.

Report: Trump double-dealing is about to reach new heights — literally
Cleared for takeoff: A $400 million gift to the president

https://www.nj.com/politics/2025/05/report-trump-corruption-is-about-to-reach-new-heights-literally.html

Newsweek: Pentagon Issues New Sweeping Order Amid Trump Admin Crackdown on DEI

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The Pentagon has issued its most sweeping directive yet in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s ongoing campaign to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content from the U.S. military.

In a memo distributed Friday, military leaders and commands were ordered to review and pull all library books related to diversity, anti-racism, and gender issues by May 21. The directive characterizes such materials as “promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology,” which it says are incompatible with the Department of Defense’s core mission.

So racism and gender discrimination must be part of “the Department of Defense’s core mission”?

Pentagon issues new sweeping order amid Trump admin crackdown on DEI
Pete Hegseth ordered military leaders to review and pull all library books related to diversity, anti-racism and gender issues.

https://www.newsweek.com/hegseth-pentagon-dei-books-us-military-libraries-2070469

Latin Times: Trump Admin Laying Groundwork For Unilateral U.S. Military Action Against Cartels In Mexico: Report

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Throughout the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to crack down drug trafficking operations in Mexican territory, a plan that caused concern among experts and diplomats who warned would be illegal and dangerous. Now, an organization believes Washington is laying the groundwork for military actions anyway.

Some in the Trump administration are reportedly considering launching drone strikes on drug cartels in Mexico as part of an effort to combat the criminal gangs operating across the southern border.

In those discussions, the White House, Defense Department and intelligence officials were still at the early stages of sketching out potential plans. The administration has not made a final decision or reached a definitive agreement about countering cartels. Nonetheless, a unilateral covert action, without Mexico’s consent, had not been ruled out and could be an option of last resort, NBC News reported.

Trump Admin Laying Groundwork For Unilateral U.S. Military Action Against Cartels In Mexico: Report
The Trump admin is considering military action to curb down drug operations in Mexico, with or without the consent of Sheinbaum’s government, according to the Crisis Group

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-admin-laying-groundwork-for-unilateral-u-s-military-action-against-cartels-in-mexico-report/ar-AA1E4leJ

Business Insider: Hegseth says the Pentagon is done ‘walking on eggshells.’ Women in uniform say it feels like a ‘slap in the face.’

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A rash of changes at the Pentagon has been sparking concern among some female service members. Now, a new memo set to potentially bring more change is causing additional alarm.

Since Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took over the Pentagon, top female officers have been fired, some women’s service histories have been erased, women’s leadership programs have been squashed, and an advisory board focused on women in the military has been dismissed.

Last Friday, Hegseth signed a memo directing a review of equal opportunity programs and the processes for reporting and investigating harassment allegations. Hegseth said the moves, which he’s dubbed the “no more walking on eggshells” policy, would ensure faster and more impartial investigations.

“Too often at the Defense Department, there are complaints made for certain reasons that can’t be verified that have ended people’s careers,” he said in an accompanying video, calling some complaints “nonsense.”

But current and former female service members told Business Insider that they worry potential changes could reverse recent progress in addressing problems like hazing, sexual harassment, racism, and social media misconduct.

Hegseth says the Pentagon is done ‘walking on eggshells.’ Women in uniform say it feels like a ‘slap in the face.’
Secretary of Defense Hegseth signed a memo last Friday ordering the services to review their equal opportunity policies, leaving some women worried.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hegseth-says-the-pentagon-is-done-walking-on-eggshells-women-in-uniform-say-it-feels-like-a-slap-in-the-face/ar-AA1E5IHd

The Week US: A ‘meltdown’ at Hegseth’s Pentagon

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet position this week after reports that he used a second Signal chat—which included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer— last month to discuss detailed plans for a U.S. military strike on rebel camps in Yemen. The New York Times reported that Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had created chaos “unmatched in the recent history” of the Pentagon, and that after he fired three top aides last week and accused them of leaking to the press, his circle of advisers “is in shambles.” A fourth recently departed aide, former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, said in a Politico column that the Defense Department is “in a full-blown meltdown” under Hegseth’s leadership and that “it’s hard to see” him retaining his post. NPR reported that the Trump administration has begun a search for Hegseth’s replacement.

A ‘meltdown’ at Hegseth’s Pentagon
The Defense Secretary is fighting to keep his job amid leaked Signal chats and staff turmoil

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-meltdown-at-hegseth-s-pentagon/ar-AA1DNG9m

CBS News: Hegseth orders makeup studio installed at Pentagon

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ordered modifications to a room next to the Pentagon press briefing room to retrofit it with a makeup studio that can be used to prepare for television appearances, multiple sources told CBS News. 

The price tag for the project was several thousand dollars, according to two of the sources, at a time when the administration is searching for cost-cutting measures. 

Anyone for lipstick on a pig?

Hegseth orders makeup studio installed at Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not given any press briefings in the briefing room but has used the room as a backdrop for TV hits with Fox News.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-orders-makeup-studio-installed-pentagon