Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) suggested on Monday that it’s time for Defense Secretary and former Fox and Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth to go.
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” Bacon, a former Air Force general who now serves on the House Armed Services Committee told Politico. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.”
Bacon’s comments come after John Ullyot, the Pentagon’s former top spokesperson who stepped down last week, criticized Hegseth in a POLITICO Magazine op-ed alleging “total chaos” has broken out on his watch.
“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Hegseth was involved in a second signal group chat where he discussed planned military strikes with members of his family.
Bacon did not explicitly call for Hegseth’s resignation, claiming it was not his place to do so, but he said he would not keep Hegseth as Defense Secretary if he was in charge.
“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” said Bacon. “I’m not in the White House, and I’m not going to tell the White House how to manage this … but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge.”
“Russia and China put up thousands of people to monitor all these phone calls at the very top, and the No. 1 target besides the president … would be the secretary of Defense,” Bacon added. “Russia and China are all over his phone, and for him to be putting secret stuff on his phone is not right. He’s acting like he’s above the law — and that shows an amateur person.”
Despite mounting scandals, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Donald Trump “stands strongly behind Pete Hegseth,” who is “doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon.”
