Daniel Wolfram
This short and weird press conference from the defense secretary was a performance for one man only.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference after articles of impeachment were presented in the House of Representatives yesterday. Here, he defended his record and “Operation Epic Fury” while his job hangs in the balance.
“It’s a political spectacle. A personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment,” Hegseth said, opening his press conference.
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Hegseth repeatedly targeted outgoing Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie without mentioning his name. According to Hegseth, this was all over a perfectly legal “policy disagreement.” However, Massie kept reiterating yesterday that the eight articles of impeachment were motivated by the bombing of an Iranian school that killed 120 children.
A press conference for an audience of one
Hegseth frequently invoked his boss, President Donald Trump. Here, Hegseth seemed to look into the camera and plead for his job with one man only: the President of the United States.
“President Trump ended that kind of wokeness and weakness. Peace through strength,” Hegseth declared in his opening remarks.
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Hegseth also contrasted President Joe Biden’s “weak” military record with Trump’s strong record, adding that history would judge the war in Iran as a success. Hegseth also claimed that every operation that was ultimately “ordered by the commander-in-chief” was “lawful.”
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Hegseth answers questions from with friendly reporters
There was already a troubling, threatening vibe before the press conference even began.
CNN reported prior to the briefing that reporters had been told that if they were to “step out of line,” they would be physically removed from the press briefing.
It then became apparent that Hegseth was not interested in taking questions from the mainstream media. Instead, he took questions from Real America’s Voice, an American right-wing streaming, cable and satellite television channel. Those questions were tailored to drive home Hegseth’s talking points.
“I really like that question,” Hegseth said after answering the question from the Real America’s Voice “journalist.”
Hegseth took just six questions from MAGA-friendly correspondents before abruptly wrapping up the press conference.
