President Donald Trump's Department of Defense lashed out at Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Wednesday, going so far as to mock the senator for declining to seek re-election in 2026.
Tillis, who was one of the few Republicans to oppose Trump's tax cut megabill, now says he regrets his vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, following reports that Hegseth went behind Trump's back to cut off weapons shipments to Ukraine.
"That was just an administrative miss. I’m glad to see the president disagrees with Hegseth on it," Tillis said, according to Semafor's Burgess Everett, Morgan Chalfant, and Shelby Talcott — but after Tillis' remarks, the Pentagon fired back.
“It’s unfortunate that Senator Tillis would give oxygen to a false narrative peddled by a proven hoaxer," said Pentagon press secretary Kinglsey Wilson, who has previously come under fire for a history of antisemitic posts on social media.
She added of Tillis, "We wish him well in his upcoming retirement."
The Trump administration's constant attacks on Tillis, whose departure now vacates a seat Democrats are planning to heavily contest next year, have triggered frustration from the Senate GOP caucus, with some senators complaining that Trump forced out a legislator important to their long-term majority.