Elect a clown, expect a circus: Hegseth, Gaetz, and Gabbard
The gasp you may have heard on Tuesday evening was the collective sound of America’s generals and admirals reaching for supplemental oxygen, as they discovered that Donald Trump, the President-elect, had chosen Pete Hegseth as the country’s next Secretary of Defense. Hegseth served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army National Guard and was the executive director of Vets for Freedom, a conservative advocacy group, but he has not held a senior military role or managed a large organization. His résumé is so thin that Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican and loyal Trump supporter, responded to the news with one word: “Who?”
Trump’s attitude toward all things military has historically bounced between effusive displays of regard (recall his efforts, resisted by Pentagon leaders, to stage a Soviet-style military parade on Pennsylvania Avenue) and utter contempt (take his repeated slams against John McCain: “I like people that weren’t captured”). Trump himself took unusual measures to avoid military service—he was initially unable to clarify exactly which of his heels had the bone spurs that enabled him to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. But no decision more clearly reveals Trump’s disdain for his country’s armed forces than his selection of Hegseth as Defense Secretary. This is, in many ways, a classic Trump choice. Hegseth’s qualifications for directing three million employees of the world’s most powerful military machine fit Trump’s well-worn pattern: simply put, Hegseth is on TV. Specifically, he appears on Trump’s longtime favorite channel, Fox News, as a weekend host of the talk show “Fox & Friends.” And—meeting another Trump standard—he looks and sounds like a loyal and studly follower. (Square jaw, good hair.) Even those who know Hegseth are shocked by the decision. His former Fox colleague Gretchen Carlson tweeted, “From silly diner interviews on Weekend Fox & Friends to Secretary of Defense? I never thought I’d say I’m stunned about any pick after the election but nominating Pete Hegseth for this incredibly important role? Yes he’s a veteran . . . and?” [Continue reading…]
In 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an Army National Guard infantry officer. He served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ultimately reaching the rank of major.
But Hegseth is a surprising pick to lead the most massive military bureaucracy in human history for a few reasons, including his assertion that women should not serve in combat roles; his successful lobbying during the first Trump administration for pardons for convicted and alleged war criminals; his description of “a war on two fronts” ― one against “radical Islamist ideology” and the other against “domestic enemies,” namely, “the Left”; his opposition to the supposed “infection” of left-wing policies in the military; and his assertion a few years ago that “the Iraq War is an example of what America got right when we got it right.” [Continue reading…]
Several Republican lawmakers on Wednesday were astounded by news that President-elect Donald Trump planned to tap Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as the top law enforcement official in his coming administration.
“I was shocked by the announcement,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters.
Trump said in a post on his social media website that Gaetz had “distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
Gaetz has been a harsh critic of the DOJ’s two criminal cases against Trump — one for trying to overturn the 2020 election, and another for hoarding classified documents after Trump left the White House. Gaetz has also falsely suggested federal agents helped orchestrate the mob riot by Trump’s supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.
Collins and other Republicans noted Gaetz would need to be confirmed by the Senate and suggested it would be difficult for him to win majority approval, even though Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority of Senate seats.
“This shows why the advice and consent process is so important, and I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing,” Collins said.
“I’m sure it’ll make for a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said.
A group of House Republicans gathered for a party meeting on Wednesday reportedly gasped when they learned of Trump’s announcement.
Gaetz is not popular among his House GOP colleagues. Many resent him for driving the ouster of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speaker’s office last year, leaving the party leaderless for weeks until they settled on Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as McCarthy’s replacement.
Others in the House GOP weren’t quite speechless.
“Are you shittin’ me?” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) as he was asked for his initial reaction.
Asked by one reporter if he thought Gaetz had the character and experience to be attorney general, Simpson stared at them incredulously, waited six seconds to answer and then said, again, with a laugh: “Are you shittin’ me, that you asked that question? No. But hell, you’ll print that and now I’ll be investigated.” [Continue reading…]
Donald Trump nominated Republican-convert Tulsi Gabbard to be the next Director of National Intelligence on Wednesday.
“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties—She is now a proud Republican! I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace Through Strength,” Trump said in a statement.
After her failed presidential run in 2020, Gabbard left the Democratic Party (she seems to announce doing this at least once a week) and became something of a conservative celebrity, elevating transphobia, spreading Russian propaganda, and unsuccessfully endorsing Republicans.
She recently went full MAGA, endorsing Trump and coaching him for his disastrous debate against Kamala Harris.
Gabbard previously claimed she’d been placed on the TSA’s watchlist, and now she will oversee the U.S. intelligence community including the Central Intelligence Agency. [Continue reading…]