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After a scandal-plagued 88 days on the job, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ran to the friendly confines of Fox News on Tuesday morning to plead his case.
Speaking to “Fox & Friends” co-host and devoted President Donald Trump fan Brian Kilmeade, Hegseth blamed his mistake-filled time in office on “the deep state.”
Asked by Kilmeade if “deep-state forces” were coming after him, Hegseth agreed and said, “They’ve been after me from Day One just like they’ve come after President Trump.”
Hegseth went on to argue that he was put in office to support war-fighters and to “get rid of trans lunacy in the military.”
“I’m here because President Trump asked me to bring war-fighting back to the Pentagon. Every single day, that is our focus. And if people don’t like it, they can come after me,” Hegseth angrily declared.
Hegseth went to Fox because there is new chatter that he may soon be let go from his position due to the constant stream of scandals from his office.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that Hegseth was part of a group chat with family members where he disclosed classified war-planning information. Hegseth was also on the infamous Signal chat where secret military information was mistakenly shared with a journalist.
During his time as a Fox News pundit, Hegseth had argued that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should go to prison for purportedly disclosing sensitive information.
Hegseth is also feeling heat after former Pentagon spokesman and Trump loyalist John Ullyot wrote in Politico that Hegseth has presided over “total chaos” at the Pentagon and called for Hegseth to be removed.
Along with Ullyot, three other senior Hegseth advisers left the Pentagon last week amid the Department of Defense’s investigation into the original Signal chat leak
So far, Trump is standing by his man. On Monday, he dismissed the negative stories about Hegseth as “fake news,” which is Trump’s catchall term for factual reporting that makes him look bad. Trump historically has not made political moves that involve admitting a mistake, and he has invested heavily in Hegseth, making it appear—for now at least—that Hegseth’s firing is unlikely.
Hegseth is facing renewed congressional opposition after the latest leak revelations.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat who represents many active and retired military personnel, told MSNBC on Monday that Hegseth was “way in over his head in a job that’s much too big for him” and is responsible for “chaos on steroids.”
“This guy needs to be replaced,” Warner added.
Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who won his district by less than 2 percentage points last year, broke party ranks and criticized Hegseth on Monday.
“I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern,” he told reporters.
The Democratic Party has also called for Hegseth to be removed. “It’s well past time for Hegseth to resign—or for Donald Trump to fire him,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
During his appearance on Fox, Hegseth insisted that he didn’t have time for leaks or the other scandals that have dominated headlines since he was sworn in.
“I don’t have time for leakers,” he complained. “I don’t have time for the hoax press that peddles old stories from disgruntled employees.”
But Hegseth did have time on his apparently busy schedule to spend time with his former coworkers at Fox News and plead his case.
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