All posts tagged "pentagon"

'Clearly that's his opinion': Mike Johnson swatted down by Trump admin

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) did not receive resounding support from the Trump administration over this week's comments regarding Israel and Gaza.

During Tuesday's Pentagon news briefing, a reporter asked, "Today, Speaker Johnson was in the West Bank, which he referred to as 'Judea and Samaria,' and said that it rightfully belongs to the Jewish people. Is that official U.S. policy, and if it's not, what is U.S. policy toward the West Bank?"

Johnson visited a settlement in the occupied West Bank as part of a private visit to Israel, according to Axios. He traveled with other Republican members of the Friends of Judea and Samaria caucus in Congress, "which supports Israeli settlements and advocates for annexation of the West Bank," according to the report.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce replied, "Uh, well, I've said this about other diplomats who've spoken their minds, including Ambassador Huckabee. Certainly that's not — if there's a policy in that regard, you would hear it from me. So, I think I can say that. I'm not going to speak for him or characterize his words in any ways, but clearly that is his opinion."

The reporter then asked, "But it's not the opinion of the U.S. government?"

"Well, I'm not going to speak about opinion of the government, and if there's a status in any region of the world, certainly in the Middle East, I would wait to hear it from Secretary Rubio and President Trump."

Watch the clip below via the U.S. State Department.

'Widely disliked' Hegseth ally tried to boot White House liaison out of Pentagon: report

A war has erupted between the Pentagon and the White House over the actions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's acting chief of staff, according to The Washington Post.

Ricky Buria, a recently retired Marine Corps colonel, reportedly tried and failed to oust Matthew A. McNitt, who coordinates personnel policy as White House liaison at the Pentagon. White House officials "intervened" to prevent Buria from achieving his goal, the report said.

The Post called it an "unusual dispute that marks the latest instance of infighting among a staff plagued by disagreement and distrust" that "appears to have shaken a fragile agreement between Hegseth and the White House."

That agreement allowed Buria to serve as temporary chief of staff after several other people refused the role.

Hegseth's first chief of staff, Joe Kasper, left earlier this year, paving the way for Buria to become "the Defense secretary's most trusted advisor," according to The Guardian. That report added that Buria -- who was "widely disliked" at the Pentagon -- was "not expected to formally receive the White House’s approval to become the permanent chief of staff to Hegseth."

Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe wrote that Buria's actions appeared rooted in his "frustration with pushback from the White House as he has attempted to fill positions in the defense secretary’s office. It coincides, too, with the White House’s refusal to let Buria take over the powerful chief of staff job on a permanent basis."

In a department plagued by turmoil, "Buria has been at the center" of much of it, the report said, "seeking to isolate Hegseth from other senior advisers on his staff and assert control over the Pentagon’s inner workings," Lamothe wrote.

The report said it wasn't clear whether Hegseth approved of Buria's "power play" or even knew about it.

In a statement, a White House spokeswoman said that President Donald Trump is “fully supportive of Secretary Hegseth and his efforts to restore a focus on warfighters at the Pentagon,” the report said.

Read The Washington Post story here.

'I'm looking forward': GOP senators won't even say embattled Hegseth's name

WASHINGTON — Republican senators may have confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s 29th defense secretary, but as Pentagon scandals keep stacking up, powerful U.S. senators are refusing to even discuss the embattled military leader.

In March, congressional Republicans rolled their eyes, joked or laughed nervously after Hegseth added the editor in chief of The Atlantic to a private Signal group chat where war plans were discussed.

Now, many in the GOP now seem dismayed by news Hegseth blocked military aid to Ukraine without telling his boss, President Donald Trump.

“What do you make of the news out of the Pentagon this week about the Ukraine funding?” Raw Story pressed the chair of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. “Is the media making too much out of this? Or is there something to be worried about [in] people in the Pentagon undercutting the president?”

“I just wouldn’t be able to comment,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said as he hopped the nearest Capitol elevator.

Wicker wasn’t alone. The chair of the formidable Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), also dodged discussing Hegseth.

“Your thoughts on what happened with this Ukraine funding?” Raw Story asked.

“I know where you're going with this,” Risch said, while riding an elevator with Raw Story.

Like Wicker, Risch refused to even utter the defense secretary’s name.

“Talking about the …” Risch stammered. “I don't know anything about that, and I'm looking forward. I know you guys are looking backward. I'm looking forward. Okay?”

“Do you think my colleagues are paying too much attention to this?” Raw Story asked.

“Absolutely, yeah, absolutely,” Risch said, walking on. “There's nothing to be gained by looking backward. There's everything to be gained by looking forward.”

“But you’re not worried about people at the Pentagon trying to undercut the president?”

“Not at all,” Risch replied. “No I'm not. Listen, he knows how to do this stuff.”

Nonetheless, speculation over how President Trump will choose to handle Hegseth is mounting, given the Ukraine aid fiasco is only the latest public misstep from the former Fox News host.

Observers sense change afoot after Trump publicly attacked Russian president Vladimir Putin while greenlighting the Ukraine military package over protests from the MAGA wing of the GOP.

On Capitol Hill, for many on the far-right of the GOP, efforts to block Ukraine military aid are in the rearview mirror.

For years, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was one of the loudest voices of resistance to funding Ukraine. Not anymore.The former Homeland Security Committee chair says it’s a proverbial new day.

“Curious for your thoughts on the seemingly new Ukraine policy?” Raw Story asked.

“It's kind of recognizing reality,” Johnson said. “I mean, the aggressor here is Putin … President Trump's given him every opportunity like he gave the ayatollahs [in Iran] to come at the table. You know, 'End this war, end your nuclear program.' He's trying to do the same thing.”

What then does Sen. Johnson make of Hegseth cutting military aid without clearing it with the White House?

“I’m not even aware of it,” Johnson said. “So I have no comment on that.”

Other more MAGA-tinged Republicans are also singing a new tune.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), a member of the Homeland Security Committee and a committed America First populist, joined Johnson in vigorously opposing President Joe Biden's efforts to assist Kyiv.

“What is this?” Hawley asked. “I've been asked a lot of Hegseth questions recently.”

Raw Story helped him out: “Is the media making too much of this? It kind of seems like President Trump might have been undercut on Ukraine policy.”

“Well, I mean, listen, I mean, everybody … he [Hegseth] serves at the pleasure of the President. Like, the President wants him gone, he'll be gone,” Hawley said, before entering the Senate chamber.

“But I think he seems to be doing a good job. I don't know. Again, I don't get caught up in cabinet drama.”

“No buyer’s remorse?” Raw Story pressed.

“Well, I mean, I didn’t buy him,” Hawley said. “He’s the president's choice.”

“That’s a nice way to wash your hands of every nominee,” Raw Story said.

“I thought he was qualified to do the job,” Hawley said. “Beyond that, he's the President's choice, which is why I also won't have a meltdown if it's like … ‘Well, the President's gonna change him.’ He can do whatever he wants with his cabinet.”

‘Watch your step’

Democrats — most of whom support funding Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders — are worried over the national security implications of Hegseth’s latest error, even as many sense the president losing faith in his Pentagon chief.

“Well, you better watch your step,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) — the Senate minority whip — told Raw Story. “Doesn't take much to get this president to decide that you're finished.”

Democrats who opposed Hegseth's confirmation are hoping this episode will at least go some way to restrain him.

“If Secretary Hegseth has not figured it out now or figured it out yet, he works for someone,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) told Raw Story.

“It appears that this Secretary just wants to be in charge, [to] be the president himself. And you know, I appreciate the President standing up to him and supporting Ukraine in this case.

“But it's very concerning that the Secretary of Defense is making arbitrary decisions without those that he has to work with and report to, namely, Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio as well as the President of the United States.”

As for powerful GOP senators like Wicker and Risch avoiding Hegseth like the plague?

“Turning a blind eye to all of this is not good for our national security, especially when we have responsibilities of oversight. This should be very concerning, and there should be briefings and hearings and gifts or whatever required to be able to get to the bottom of this,” Sen. Luján said.

“Someone needs to have answers.”

'Did Hegseth start crying?' Defense secretary ridiculed for media 'tantrum'

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) poked fun at Defense secretary Pete Hegseth for his animated performance at Thursday's news conference on destruction caused by the airstrikes on Iran.

Hegseth unleashed on the media for "spinning" the news against Trump and the U.S. military because they wouldn't take Donald Trump's word that Iran's nuclear sites were "obliterated."

"It's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad," Hegseth said. "You have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren't effective. Maybe the way the Trump administration is representing them isn't true. So let's take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it. Spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind, the public mind, over whether or not our brave pilots were successful."

Swalwell posted to social media, "Did Secretary of Defense Hegseth start crying today during his press conference? My God. Is he emotionally stable enough to lead our military?"

Other onlookers piled on Swalwell's mockery.

Liberal commentator @covie_93 posted to his 140,000 followers, "Ok hegseth you cried and have your little tantrum but we'd still like to know if the enriched Uranium was moved before the strike and if so where?"

"No, I’m not watching Pete Hegseth cry, lie, and j--- o-- Trump for half an hour. This is the most pathetic Administration in history. Just a bunch of whiny losers," wrote Army combat veteran and podcaster Fred Wellman.

Lucas Sanders, who's followed by Republicans Against Trump and 36,000 other accounts wrote, "Did Pete Hegseth start crying today during his press conference? Yikes. Was he emotionally stable enough to lead our military or not?"

"F------ crybaby Hegseth is crying about the press. For guys who love to call themselves tough guys, this administration does a lot of whining," wrote attorney Thomas Protano.

'US homeland' now includes Greenland after major shakeup by Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken action to have Greenland declared part of the "U.S. homeland" to be defended by American forces, according to a report in Military Times.

The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it was shifting responsibility for Greenland from U.S. European Command to U.S. Northern Command, with the Department of Defense framing "the revision as part of a broader review of its Unified Command Plan, which divides the world into separate military units and outlines the roles and responsibilities of U.S. combatant commands," Military Times reported.

The U.S.-run Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland "is one of the most strategically important military sites in the world," according to The New York Times.

Since retaking office in January, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex the Danish territory in the name of national security. “One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Trump said of Greenland during a March speech before a joint session of Congress.

In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson claimed, "[This] change will strengthen the Joint Force’s ability to defend the U.S. homeland, contributing to a more robust defense of the western hemisphere and deepening relationships with Arctic allies and partners."

The report claimed, "The Pentagon announcement didn’t mention any intent to annex the territory, and the president didn’t immediately suggest such a choice was possible Tuesday." However, the publication noted that "while testifying before the House last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out that the U.S. may use force to take Greenland, even when encouraged by a fellow Republican to clarify earlier remarks."

The report quoted Hegseth as saying, “I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything,” as a way of "suggesting the military has prepared for the possibility of seizing the territory."

Read the Military Times article here.

'Hasn't gotten it together': Analyst details dumpster fire of Hegseth's Pentagon

MSNBC political contributor Steve Benen argued in a new article that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "still hasn't gotten it together," despite President Donald Trump's assertion that he eventually would.

In April, Trump told The Atlantic, "I think he’s gonna get it together,” after editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg listed Hegseth's failings: "he’s fired three top advisers in recent weeks, he rotated out his chief of staff, he installed a makeup studio at the Pentagon, he put attack plans in two different Signal chats, including one with his wife and personal attorney."

Benen wrote that Trump's prediction might prove true in the future, "but the hapless Pentagon chief apparently hasn’t gotten it together just yet."

As evidence, Benen cited an NBC report saying, "The White House is looking for a new chief of staff and several senior advisers to support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a series of missteps that have shaken confidence in his leadership, but it has so far found no suitable takers."

Benen wrote that the "complexity of the challenge" of finding qualified people to work for Hegseth is that they must be "both MAGA friendly and willing to work with an unqualified and scandal-plagued television personality who was elevated to one of the world’s most difficult administrative positions."

"Finding people who check one of the boxes is easy; finding people who check all of the boxes is apparently not going well," Benen asserted.

The columnist also cited The Atlantic's latest report on the Department of Defense that “Hegseth oversees a workforce of more than 3 million, and a budget of close to $1 trillion, without a chief of staff. His shrunken circle of close aides lacks extensive Pentagon experience. Key military commanders are preparing to retire without replacements in sight. Sidelined aides have aired details of unseemly feuds at the department’s senior levels, and a series of unflattering media reports have fueled what numerous officials describe as Hegseth’s fixation on stopping leaks.”

As for Hegseth proving to Trump that he's gotten it together, Benen wrote, there may come a day, "but that day has not yet arrived."

Read the MSNBC piece here.

This bonkers MAGA-girl story proves the face-eating leopard lives

While poking around all the likely news sources this morning, I landed on this piece from the Associated Press: “OAN’s Pentagon Reporter Learns the Limits of Expressing Her Own Opinion.”

Here’s the subhead: “The day the face-eating leopard ate my face.”

OK, the subhead is mine, but the story is bonkers, scary, and one of the most MAGA things I have ever read.

Here’s the lede from the AP’s David Bauder, who did an admirable job of playing this one straight, even if I will predict he typed this beauty through gritted teeth:

“Assigned to cover the Pentagon for the conservative outlet One America News Network, Gabrielle Cuccia didn’t pretend to be an unbiased reporter. She describes herself as “a MAGA girl” who is unapologetically defiant in her support of President Donald Trump.

“Yet days after publicly criticizing a Trump appointee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Cuccia found herself out of a job.”

To start with, and there are a million points of entry for a bizarre story like this one, let’s just get this out of the way quick: One America News Network (OAN) — and why isn’t it OAN-N? — is a hardcore right-wing propaganda weapon that doesn’t belong anywhere close to the vicinity of anything serious, much less in the halls of our Pentagon. Ditto, the (allegedly) drunken Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has already shared more secrets with our enemies than Trump on the patio of a Mar-a-Lago all-you-can-eat cookout with half the Russian embassy.

Here’s some background on OAN(N) from Bauder:

One America News Network makes no secret of its allegiance to Trump. When Matt Gaetz’s nomination as Trump’s attorney general fell apart following the election, OAN quickly signed him up as a contributor. OAN faced lawsuits — and negotiated settlements — for its promotion of Trump’s false theories that he did not lose the 2020 election.

So you have a MAGA propaganda network “covering” the Pentagon with a propagandist stooge, who will climb every mountain to proudly proclaim she is completely in the tank for the anti-American Trump Administration, no matter what.

Wipe that grin off your face, Vladimir …

Well, the trouble started for “MAGA girl” when she was reminded that she got her job in the Pentagon not because she is anything resembling a real journalist, but because she is, first and foremost, a power tool.

She was there on behalf of the Trump Administration-OAN(N) partnership to prop Hegseth up, not tear him down. She was there to run errands, not question his decisions.

The minute the power tool started trying to act like a real journalist she would be unplugged, and put away in some box. The last thing OAN(N) wants is any real journalism breaking out at the place.

They have their brutally dishonest brand, and the brutally dishonest White House to protect.

So when “MAGA girl” took against the Pentagon’s restrictive access issues for journalists, and rightwing propagandists like herself under the Trump regime, she wrote an endless Substack piece about it and was promptly removed from her job.

From Bauder’s piece:

“The Defense Department did not pull Cuccia’s credentials, according to a Defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. Cuccia said OAN told her the Substack piece had been “put on their radar,” but she wouldn’t say by who. She wouldn’t speak further about what her employer told her, and OAN president Charles Herring told the Associated Press that it does not discuss personnel issues.”

This is the only part of the AP reporting that rubbed me the wrong way.

HOW can there be any confusion about whether it was the Pentagon who removed “MAGA girl” or OAN(N) when they are the same damn thing? I really wish places like AP would stop being cute about stuff like this, when they know good and damn well that the White House and places like OAN(N) are connected like a toilet to a sewer pipe.

None of the hell we have endured the past decade or so would have been remotely possible without steam shovels like OAN(N) and Fox News spreading their 24/7 manure …

As to “MAGA girl’s” Substack piece that landed her in all this hot water …

I debated whether to link to it here, because it is longer than War and Peace (get that girl six editors, a fire extinguisher, and while yer at it, another martini for Pete), and because thanks to pathetic, bought-off, anti-America power tools like herself our country is teetering on the brink, because there are actually people who swallow her s--t whole, and then spit it out to their friends.

But what the hell, here it is: If you decide you do have about four hours to waste, don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s truly gruesome, and starts this way:

“I feel like I don’t need to start this by proclaiming my love for America the Beautiful — or by saying that I was (and still am) unapologetically defiant in my support for President Trump.”

Because the first rule for any power tool is to not completely short-circuit your relationship with your true power source.

In fact, I predict it’s only a matter of time before “MAGA girl” finds herself another cushy job as a power tool, featuring far more anti-American screed to plug.

Navy considers removing civil rights leaders' names from ships

In its continued attempt to erase diversity, equity, and inclusion from U.S. history, the Trump administration is planning to rename several navy ships currently titled for civil rights leaders like Harvey Milk, Thurgood Marshall and Harriet Tubman, among others, CBS News reported.

The first ship to be renamed, according to documents reviewed by CBS, is the USNS Harvey Milk, which honors the navy veteran and the first openly gay politician in California's history. Milk was assassinated while serving on San Francisco's board of supervisors in 1978 and became an LGBTQ icon.

CBS News noted that the proposed timeline for renaming the ship comes during Pride Month, "the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ community that also coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969."

ALSO READ: FBI silent as far-right podcaster demands Trump execution and Kash Patel torture

Also on the Navy's renaming "recommended list" are the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers.

CBS News also found "that a December 2024 web article from Naval Sea Systems Command about the laying of the keel for the future USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted."

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told CBS News in statement, "The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream."

She added, "Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the "warrior" ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country."

CBS cited the navy memo that said "the renaming of naval ships was to realign the U.S. military with Trump administration priorities of 'reestablishing the warrior culture.'"

Read the CBS News story here.

'Got it — you're in charge': Ex-general blames Hegseth's insecurity for top brass firings

Retired Major General James Spider Marks slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for trying to "flex his muscles" by announcing he's slashing top generals and admirals from the Pentagon.

CNN's John Berman played a clip of Hegseth claiming his new "DOD reforms" will include "less generals, more G.I.s."

"'Fewer generals,' he should have said," Berman quipped. "He says it's not 'slash and burn,' Spider. But what do you think when you look at this?"

"I don't see the correlation between reducing the size of the general officer ranks, flag officer ranks, and increasing the size of the enlisted population," Marks said. "These are two different sources, two different buckets of individuals and leadership capacities."

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

Marks continued that if Hegseth's objective is purely to cut costs, "this would be a drop in the bucket."

"What I would recommend...turn around to the services and say, 'Service chiefs, I think we've got a challenge here. I want your recommendations on what what you should look like. Come back to me with your recommendations.' Don't state up front, 'We've got a 20% reduction in four stars,' which would be about 8 to 10 personnel. And don't say, 'We're going to have an additional 10% across the board in all the other flags,' which would be about an 80 to 90 number of individuals reduced. Come back and say, 'Look, here's what we can do to solve this particular problem.' Then, if you do that, the service chiefs own the solution. I mean, they're going to be all in."

Marks claimed Hegseth's big misstep was making a declaration from on high.

"If it's coming from the top, it seems...non-serious is what it seems to me. And there's not...a lot of real substance to what he's trying to achieve. I think he's flexing his muscles. We don't need to be reminded that he's the Secdef. I got it — you're in charge. This is not the way you embrace the organization."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

'Come on!' Ex-chief of staff spills on Pete Hegseth's obsession with 'weird details'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is more focused on photo ops than leadership at the Pentagon, according to new reporting from Politico.

The piece cited a recent podcast appearance by Colin Carroll, who was fired from his position as chief of staff to the deputy Defense secretary during a Hegseth-ordered leak investigation.

Carroll told podcast host Megyn Kelly that Hegseth "was obsessed with the spread of leaks and spent half his time investigating them at the detriment of defense priorities," the report said.

“He was very focused on the leaks, and I think it kind of consumed the team a little bit,” said Carroll said. “If you look at a pie chart of the secretary’s day, at this point, 50 percent of it is probably a leak investigation."

Also read: 'This is our shot': Dems believe MTG's new job gives 'golden opportunity' to destroy GOP

Carroll claimed that Hegseth was consumed with dismantling perception that he was "undisciplined and a heavy drinker," as he was portrayed by opponents during his contentious confirmation hearings. Hegseth has firmly denied the accusations.

“In order to combat that image, it’s ‘hey, I’m gonna go work out with the troops,’” Carroll said. ”While that is important — and it’s a thing to do to get out there and helps recruiting and helps morale — if you’re taking a half day trip to the Naval Academy at the same time the budget is due, and we really need some support here … come on, you gotta weigh priorities.”

Carroll told a “tale of two Petes,” wrote reporters Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch: the first was "a straight-talking leader able to convince skeptical Republicans to boost higher defense spending;" while the second was "a Pentagon chief fixed on 'weird details' who could get 'very agitated' in internal meetings."

In an interview with The Atlantic, out Monday President Donald Trump continued to stand by Hegseth, a former Fox News host, even after his compounding Signalgate scandals.

“He’s gonna get it together,” Trump said. “I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him.”