'He was drunk when he posted this': Observers ridicule Pete Hegseth for 'childish tantrum'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raised onlookers' eyebrows on Saturday with an attack on a judge who recently ruled against the Trump administration in a court case about banning transgender troops.

A right-wing news source recently reported that, "U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes orders Pentagon to allow transgender troops, calls Trump ban ‘unabashedly demeaning.'"

Hegseth responded to that report on social media, writing, "Since 'Judge' Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids."

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He then added, "after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare."

The response from political observers was swift.

Army combat vet Fred Wellman said, "You just helped the case you monumental jacka--."

New York Times columnist David French said, "This is a childish temper tantrum. Either the judge is right on the law or not, and if she’s so obviously wrong then you should have no problem winning on appeal. Go file your appeal and stop whining."

Legal scholar Norman Ornstein replied to French: "Give him a break, David. He was drunk when he posted this!"

Self-described political junkie Timothy Bellman said, "It sounds like you think you’re above the law."

Politico's Kyle Cheney also weighed in on social media Saturday:

"Notably, the Trump administration declined Judge Reyes’ request for a declaration from Secretary Hegseth explaining whether his tweet about the ban transgender troops — which conflicted with the administration’s argument in court — was accurate," the reporter wrote.

Former public defender Rob Poggenklass said, "Judge Reyes graduated with honors from Harvard Law, clerked for a judge on the Second Circuit, was named the Woman Lawyer of the Year by the Women’s Bar of DC, and was confirmed by a Senate vote margin twice as big as Justice Kavanaugh."