Sen. Tim Kane (D-Va.) said it was “sad, but very predictable” that the launch of members of the Pentagon Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses last week, sparking new disruptions at the Department of Defense (DOD).
“Looking at Pete Hegses’ records, before he becomes Secretary of Defense, it’s one after another a clever, professional and personal mistake, and there’s no magic wand to sway above you when you get a narrow Senate confirmation vote that turns into a wise person,” Kane, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. In an interview on Monday. “This is a sad but very predictable situation.”
Trio of fired officials – former senior advisers Dan Caldwell, former vice chiefs of staff Darrin Cernick and Colin Carroll, former top aide to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, issued a joint statement over the weekend.
The Trump administration’s Pentagon Brass and others say Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll were fired during the leak investigation, but they said in a joint statement that they have not been told exactly whether the investigation is still active and whether there was even an actual investigation into the “leak.”
Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News personality, has denounced the media and denounced “disgruntled former employees” for the latest in a series of Pentagon scandals that questioned his leadership at the Department of Defense. The GOP-controlled Senate narrowly confirmed Hegustes after an intervention from President Trump and a ties from Vice President Vance.
“What a huge surprise to see a number of misses being fired and so many hits coming out of the same media that suddenly pitched Russian hoax,” Heggs told White House reporters on Monday, frequently complaining from Trump about reports during the 2016 election.
Trump again defended Hegses on Monday, calling reports of dysfunction in the Pentagon “fake news,” and also informing him that he is not interested in changing leadership. The White House declined a report suggesting that the administration is considering replacing Hegzes.
“Ask how much dysfunction Houthis is. Nothing. Pete does a great job,” Trump told White House reporters. “Everyone is happy with him.”
“I think it sounds like a disgruntled employee. He was put there to drive away a lot of bad people, and that’s what he’s doing.
However, Kane defended the three fired officials, saying the Trial once again raised questions about his ability to handle the role of the Top Pentagon.
“I think these are miserable people who are patriots and I am very concerned that Pete Hegses will continue to lead this most important Cabinet Secretariat,” Kane said in an interview with CNN. “While he served brilliantly when he was wearing the US uniform, he has shown a frightening lack of judgment, both professionally and personally, in his leadership position in many organizations since his uniformed service.”
The New York Times reportedOver the weekend, Hegseth shared sensitive military plans through signal apps in messages with his family. The news discussed last month that Hegses and other Trump officials discussed attacks on Yemeni Hooty rebels and mistakenly including reporters in the chain.
“It’s just a lack of judgment about what happened in the last few weeks about these two Signalgate atrocities, and he’s the wrong person to become our Secretary of Defense,” Kane said.
