In November, a group of six Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, posted a video reminding members of the US military that they can refuse illegal orders.
@SenatorSlotkin / Via Twitter: @SenatorSlotkin
President Donald Trump was NOT happy about it. He reposted a Truth Social post calling to “HANG THEM,” and posted himself, writing, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that Trump does not want to execute members of Congress.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasn’t happy about it either. The Pentagon announced an investigation into Senator Kelly and said it could recall him to active duty to face a court-martial.
But now, a clip of Hegseth speaking back in 2016 has resurfaced that has people asking, “This you?”
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In the clip, Hegseth says, “I do think there have to be consequences for abject war crimes. If you’re doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, there is a consequence for that. That’s why the military said it won’t follow unlawful orders from their commander-in-chief. There’s a standard, there’s an ethos, there’s a belief that we are above so many things that our enemies or others would do.”
CNN / Liberty Forum / Via x.com
The video aired on CNN during a segment featuring Senator Kelly. Kelly later tweeted it out, writing, “Pete Hegseth says he’s going to court-martial me for saying the same exact thing he said 9 years ago.”
@CaptMarkKelly / CNN / Via Twitter: @CaptMarkKelly
This video is making the rounds amid investigations into Hegseth’s involvement in a second strike on survivors of an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela in September. Some lawmakers and legal experts have called the second strike illegal. Hegseth has said he did not see any survivors, citing the “fog of war,” and the White House has stated that the attack was lawful.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds / Getty Images
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Between all this, beefing with Franklin the Turtle, his unfortunate typo situation, and reports about the Pentagon inspector general’s findings about Hegseth’s use of the Signal app, it looks like Trump’s Defense Secretary is having a terrible week.
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