Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) hammered Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Defense Tuesday.
Among comments Pete Hegseth has made are those relating to his objection to women in combat roles and the integration of all race, gender and orientations in the military — which he calls a "diversity, equity and inclusion" program."
"Your goal, I see emerging, is to politicize the military in favor of your particular positions, which you've outlined extensively, which would be the worst blow to the professionalism of the United States military and would undercut readiness, undercut retention," Reed said.
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Reed also noted Hegseth "disparaged the Geneva Convention and the rules of war."
"You've made statements to your platoon after being briefed by a JAG officer," Reed said. JAG, in this case, refers to the Judge Advocate General's Corps, the legal branch of the military. Hegseth attacked the officer as a "jagoff," and Reed asked him to explain what that meant.
The slang term "jagoff" is a derogatory term with sexual connotations that generally means someone is inept or stupid.
Hegseth refused to explain it, saying, "The men and women watching understand."
Reed pressed him, saying that committee members may not know what it means.
Hegseth went on to make up his own definition, falsely claiming it was someone who "would be a jag officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters, their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front lines."
See the clip below or at the link here.