Pete Hegseth Embarrasses Dem Leaders in Fiery Senate Showdown

Elizabeth Warren thought she had Hegseth cornered with a “gotcha” moment, but she ended up humiliating herself instead.

After enduring relentless media smear campaigns, Pete Hegseth has defied the odds in his bid to become Trump’s Secretary of Defense.

He proved his resilience again today, tackling four grueling hours of questioning with composure and skill.

Drama immediately unfolded when protesters interrupted Hegseth’s opening statement.

One man shouted, “(Indiscernible) Vietnam War… Not only that, you are a Christian Zionist!”

He was quickly removed from the premises.

Chaos erupted even further when even more protesters were ejected from the Senate Confirmation hearing.

One particularly unruly individual had to be forcibly removed, requiring three police officers to carry him out.

After multiple interruptions from protesters, Hegseth impressed the room by transforming the chaotic confirmation hearing into a masterclass with his powerful and brilliant opening statement.

“The Department of Defense under Donald Trump will achieve peace through strength. And in pursuing these America First national security goals will remain patriotically apolitical and stridently constitutional.

“Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats. We are American warriors. Our standards will be high, and they will be equal.

“Not equitable. That’s a very different word. We need to make sure every warrior is fully qualified on their assigned weapon system, every pilot’s fully qualified and current on the aircraft they are flying, and every general or flag officer is selected for leadership or promotion purely based on performance, readiness, and merit.

“Leaders at all levels will be held accountable, and warfighting and lethality and the readiness of the troops and their families will be our only focus. This has been my focus ever since I first put on the uniform as a young Army ROTC cadet at Princeton University in 2001.

“I joined the military because I love my country and felt an obligation to defend it. I served with incredible Americans in Guantanamo Bay, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and on the streets of Washington, D.C.

“Many of which are with me here today. This includes enlisted soldiers I helped become American citizens and Muslim allies I helped immigrate from Iraq and Afghanistan because when I took off the uniform, my mission never stopped.

“Now it is true, and has been acknowledged, that I don’t have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years. But as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials, whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives.

“And where has it gotten us? He believes, and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent. Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives.

“My only special interest is the warfighter deterring wars and, if called upon, winning wars. By ensuring our warriors never enter a fair fight, we let them win, and we bring them home.

“Like many of my generation, I’ve been there. I’ve led troops in combat. I’ve been on patrol for days. I’ve pulled the trigger downrange, heard bullets whiz by, flex-cuffed insurgents, called in close air support, led medevacs, dodged IEDs, pulled out dead bodies, and knelt before a battlefield cross.

“This is not academic for me. This is my life. I led then, and I will lead now. Ask anyone who’s ever worked for me or with me. I know what I don’t know.

“My success as a leader—and I very much look forward to discussing my organization’s successes at Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. I’m incredibly proud of the work that we’ve done. But my success as a leader has always been setting a clear vision, hiring people smarter and more capable than me, empowering them to succeed, holding everyone accountable, and driving toward clear metrics.

“Build the plan, work the plan, and then work harder than everyone else around you. I’ve sworn an oath to the Constitution before, and if confirmed, I will proudly do it again. This time, for the most important deployment of my life.

“I pledge to be a faithful partner to this committee, taking input and respecting oversight. We share the same goals: a ready, lethal military, the health and well-being of our troops, and a strong and secure America.”

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Early in the hearing process, Hegseth revealed how the mainstream media weaponized their influence by deliberately refusing to publish positive quotes about him.

He revealed, “People would reach out to me and say, ‘I’ve spoken to this reporter about who you really are, and I was willing to go on the record, but they didn’t print my quote. They didn’t print any of my quotes.’ Or, ‘I’ve worked with you for 10 years,’ or, ‘I was your accountant,’ or, ‘I was your chief operating officer,’ or, ‘I was your board member,’ or, ‘I was with you on a hundred different tour stops for Concerned Veterans for America.’

“No one called me. No one asked about your conduct on the record or off the record. Instead, a small handful of anonymous sources were allowed to drive a smear campaign and agenda about me because our left-wing media in America today sadly doesn’t care about the truth.”

Tensions rose when Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand attempted to cast Hegseth as a divisive figure who views leftists as enemies.

However, her effort backfired spectacularly as Hegseth skillfully turned the tables, leaving her visibly defeated.

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: “The statements you said about people who have views differently than you, that we’re the enemy. Are you saying that 50% of the DoD, if they hold liberal views or leftist views, or are Democrats, are not welcome in the military?”

PETE HEGSETH: “I volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan under Democrat President Barack Obama. I also volunteered to guard the inauguration of Joe Biden but was denied the opportunity to serve because I was identified as an extremist by my own unit for a Christian tattoo.”

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: (Acknowledges defeat)

Hegseth deflated his critics even further when he delivered a flawless response on what role politics has in the military.

“As far as politics, Senator, it has been the joy of my life to lead men and women in military outfits. When you’re in combat or in training, there’s a lot of conversations that happen, and you start to realize that a lot of people you’re serving with share your political ideals, or they don’t.

“You find out there’s Republicans, there’s Democrats, there’s libertarians, there’s independents, there’s vegetarians, everything in between. None of that matters. It never mattered in how I led men and women, how I interacted with them, what missions we undertook.

“Politics has nothing to do with the battlefield, which is why President Trump has asked me to say, let’s make sure all of that comes out. This is about war, fighting capability, setting standards high, and making sure we give our boys, our men and women, everything they need to be successful on the battlefield.

“So politics can play no part in that. And I look forward to infusing that as we always have inside our units.”

Democratic desperation to block Hegseth at all costs reached new heights when Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) blatantly twisted his words, attempting to paint him as someone who would invade Greenland and the Panama Canal.

MAZIE HIRONO: “Would you carry out an order from President Trump to seize Greenland, a territory of our NATO ally Denmark, by force, or would you comply with an order to take over the Panama Canal?”

HEGSETH: “Senator, I will emphasize that President Trump received 77 million votes to be the lawful commander.”

HIRONO: “We’re not talking about the election. My question is, would you use our military to take over Greenland or an ally of Denmark?”

HEGSETH: “Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand. And so I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the president gives in any context.”

HIRONO: “It sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and the Panama Canal.”

However, Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) took the slimeball tactics another step further when he attempted to brand Pete Hegseth as a wife-beater in an utterly disgraceful line of questioning.

TIM KAINE: “Did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives.”

HEGSETH: “Absolutely not.”

KAINE: “But you would agree with me that if someone had committed physical violence against a spouse, that would be disqualifying to serve as Secretary of Defense, correct, Senator?”

HEGSETH: “Absolutely not have I ever done that.”

KAINE: “You would agree that that would be a disqualifying offense, would you not?”

HEGSETH: “Senator, you’re talking about a hypothetical.”

KAINE: “I don’t think it’s a hypothetical. Violence against spouses occurs every day. And if you as a leader are not capable of saying that physical violence against a spouse should be a disqualifying fact for being Secretary of the most powerful nation in the world, you’re demonstrating an astonishing lack of judgment.”

Senator Angus King (I-Maine) tried to continue the pattern of demeaning and demoralizing Hegseth with ad hominem attacks.

However, his effort backfired spectacularly when his attempt to lecture Hegseth on the art of war crumbled before his eyes.

ANGUS KING: “Your position is torture’s okay. Is that correct? Waterboarding? Torture is no longer prohibited given the circumstances of whatever war we’re in. Is that correct?”

HEGSETH: “Senator, that is not what I said. I’ve never been party to torture. We are a country that fights by the rule of law, and our men and women always do. And yet we have too many people here in air-conditioned offices that like to point fingers at the guys in dark and dangerous places, the gals in helicopters in enemy territory who are doing things that people in Washington, D.C., would never dare to do.”

The Democrats’ failed attempts to embarrass Hegseth hit a new low when Senator Elizabeth Warren thought she had him cornered with a “gotcha” moment.

But she ended up humiliating herself instead as Hegseth dismantled her entire premise with a single, important fact.

“You are quite sure every General who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years but you’re not willing to make that same pledge?” Warren asked.

“I’m not a General, Senator,” Hegseth pointed out.

The entire room busted out laughing.

In a moment that perfectly characterized the entire hearing, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) seized the opportunity to take shots not only at Pete Hegseth but also at Donald Trump.

This made it abundantly clear that Democrats aren’t genuinely concerned about Hegseth’s qualifications for Secretary of Defense. It revealed that they are still bitter about being blown out in the election and are now fixated on stopping Trump at any cost.

“How can we ask these warriors to train and perform to the absolute highest standards when you are asking us to lower the standards to make you the Secretary of Defense simply because you are buddies with our president-elect? And by the way, he has filed for bankruptcy six times. I’m not quite sure he’s the kind of CEO you want to refer to as a successful businessman.”

Disgraceful partisan attacks like this one are what will get Hegseth confirmed.

After enduring four grueling hours of baseless attacks, Pete Hegseth celebrated his stellar performance with well-earned hugs and handshakes from senators and colleagues alike.

Hegseth delivered a spectacular showing, proving his readiness for the role. Let’s hope he gets confirmed as Secretary of Defense in the coming days.

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Before you go, watch what happens when this CBS reporter tries to get the Chase Bank CEO to smear Trump. It’s glorious.