Hegseth faces grilling on Capitol Hill for first time since Signal scandal and troops sent to LA
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to field sharp questions from members of Congress about his tumultuous start as Pentagon chief, including his sharing of sensitive military details over a Signal group chat, in three separate Capitol Hill hearings beginning today.
This will be his first appearance before a House committee since his epic and controversy-ridden Senate confirmation hearings over four months ago – and a lot has happened since then, so it could be a lengthy one.
Lawmakers are also sure to quiz Hegseth on the legality of his mobilization of 700 active-duty marines to assist more than 4,100 national guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel. We can expect questions about what the troops are expected to do and how much it will all cost.
Under the Posse Comitatus Act, troops are prohibited from policing US citizens on American soil. Invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do that, is incredibly rare, and Trump has downplayed suggestions that he plans to do that.
Hegseth’s conduct around Signalgate is bound to come up, both in terms of his sharing of attack plans in Yemen and his subsequent denials that the information was classified. We can also expect questions around the general sense of chaos around the Pentagon since he took charge, with a number of key staff being fired.
Lawmakers also have made it clear they are unhappy that Hegseth has not provided details on the administration’s first proposed defense budget, which Donald Trump has said would total $1tn, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800bn.
It will also be lawmakers’ first chance to ask Hegseth about a myriad of other controversial spending by the Pentagon, including plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgrades to turn a Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45m into a parade recently added to the Army’s 250th birthday bash, which happens to coincide with Trump’s birthday on Saturday.
Insecure men always overcompensate. Whiskey dink
Grill him unmercifully!!!!