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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: Nuclear Weapons for Ukraine Is up to President Donald Trump

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News said he is not ruling out nuclear weapons for Ukraine, and that ultimately it is up to President Donald Trump.

“I’m not here to declare anything on or off the table. That’s not my job. That’s the president’s job. He’s the leader, he’s the master negotiator and dealmaker,” he said.

He added, “Some of us are out there to help set certain types of conditions that could make a deal more likely and that’s what I’ve tried to do here in the context of NATO.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week Ukraine should be given NATO membership or nuclear weapons as a security guarantee against a future Russian invasion as part of a peace deal.

But Hegseth on Wednesday outlined some U.S. positions ahead of negotiations, including that Ukraine should not be offered NATO membership. (Read more from “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: Nuclear Weapons for Ukraine Is up to President Donald Trump” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Lloyd Austin’s Ex-Chief of Staff Attacks Pete Hegseth Over Plane Crash

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Former President Joe Biden’s Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and former Chief of Staff, Kelly Magsamen, have sparked controversy by launching a personal attack on Pete Hegseth after a fatal plane crash involving a military helicopter and an American Airlines aircraft. In a sharp rebuke, the former defense official, who helped Austin cover up his absence from the Pentagon during a health crisis in January 2024, attacked Hegseth for his comments about DEI and falsely accused him of blaming the female co-pilot, Capt. Rebecca Lobach, for the incident.

Fox News Pentagon reporter Jennifer Griffin first reported on Magsamen’s comments toward Hegseth, accusing him of mismanaging his first crisis as the secretary of defense under the Trump administration, adding that “so far it’s not a good sign.”

More from Magsamen’s remarks:

Secretary Hegseth has a lot to learn. When you speak as the Secretary of Defense, the entire force and their families are listening. They are looking to him for leadership and support, not suspicion. For him to imply that this pilot was not qualified because of her gender is absurd. He should be supporting a thorough unbiased investigation and supporting all three of these Army families. To add a layer of stress to this one family in their time of grief is shocking. Imagine having to worry about political attacks on your daughter while grieving. The Secretary should be showing leadership and consoling the families and overseeing an unbiased investigation. This is the first crisis he has had to manage and so far it’s not a good sign.

However, while Hegseth spoke broadly about DEI initiatives, he did not blame DEI for the deadly crash that killed all sixty-four passengers and crew onboard the American Airlines plane, as well as the three crew members on the Black Hawk. Instead, he said the crew members were “fairly experienced.” (Read more from “Lloyd Austin’s Ex-Chief of Staff Attacks Pete Hegseth Over Plane Crash” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Pentagon Boots NBC, NPR, NYT, and Politico from Offices

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The Department of Defense ordered a handful of news media outlets to vacate their offices inside the Pentagon so that they may be replaced by some conservative press organizations.

In a memo issued on Friday, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense John Ullyot said the Pentagon wanted to “broaden access to the limited space of the Correspondents Corridor to outlets that have not previously enjoyed the privilege and journalistic value of working from physical office space in the Pentagon.”

It was not clear what if any role Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth played in the decision.

The department’s “new Annual Media Rotation Program” will begin on Feb. 14, and will require The New York Times, NBC News, National Public Radio, and Politico to vacate “their physical office space effective” on that date. (Read more from “Pentagon Boots NBC, NPR, NYT, and Politico from Offices” HERE)

Pentagon Pulling Gen. Milley’s Security Detail and Clearance ‘Immediately,’ May Face Demotion in Retirement

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will announce he is “immediately pulling” retired Gen. Mark Milley’s personal security detail and security clearance, multiple senior administration officials tell Fox News.

The secretary is also directing the new acting Inspector General to conduct a review board to determine if enough evidence exists for Gen. Milley to be stripped of a star in retirement based on his actions to “undermine the chain of command” during President Donald Trump’s first term, officials say.

The Pentagon will also be removing a second portrait of Gen. Milley inside the Pentagon. This one is from the Army’s Marshall Corridor on the third floor honoring his service as chief-of-staff of the Army. Fox is told the removal of this second portrait will take place as soon as tonight. This means there will be no more portraits of Gen. Milley inside the Pentagon.

The first portrait of Gen. Milley, from his time as the U.S. military’s top officer, was removed from the Pentagon last week on Inauguration Day less than two hours after President Trump was sworn into office.

The now retired Gen. Milley and other former senior Trump aides had been assigned personal security details ever since Iran vowed revenge for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in 2020 ordered by Trump in his first term. (Read more from “Pentagon Pulling Gen. Milley’s Security Detail and Clearance ‘Immediately,’ May Face Demotion in Retirement” HERE)

Pete Hegseth Drops the Bomb on DEI at U.S. Department of Defense

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Says ‘No More DEI at Department of Defense’: ‘No Exceptions’

By Fox News. The Department of Defense (DoD) is the latest agency that is disbanding all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs following President Donald Trump’s executive order terminating all federal DEI programs.

“The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at Dept. of Defense,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X.

In a handwritten note shared along with the post on X, Hegseth wrote: “The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”

Hegseth added that “those who do not comply will no longer work here.”

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., echoed Hegseth, writing: “The best way to stop discriminating against people on the basis of race or gender is to stop discriminating against people on the basis of race or gender,” Kennedy wrote in a post on X. “Let DEI die.”

(Read more from “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Says ‘No More DEI at Department of Defense’: ‘No Exceptions’” HERE)

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Hegseth Confirmed As Secretary of Defense After Chaotic Process

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By Daily Caller. Pete Hegseth was confirmed Friday as the 29th secretary of Defense after a contentious Senate confirmation process.

The vote was split down party lines, with 50 votes for and 50 votes against and Vice President JD Vance set to break the tie, according to the unofficial tally. Hegseth will oversee the U.S. armed forces’ domestic and foreign activities as its civilian head.

“Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who was rumored to have defected with his vote, said on X Friday. “I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”

Republican defections included Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins.

Hegseth’s confirmation hearing was tense, as his allegations of sexual assault and past comments on women’s role in the military drew harsh attacks from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Despite the attacks, he drew praise from his Republican colleagues for his performance. (Read more from “Hegseth Confirmed As Secretary of Defense After Chaotic Process” HERE)

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Hegseth confirmed: Vance comes to rescue after McConnell rebellion forces tiebreaker

By Washington Examiner. Pete Hegseth will be the next secretary of defense after Vice President JD Vance cast a historic vote to save his confirmation when Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rejected the nominee at the last hour.

The turbulent nomination threatened to split Republicans on one of President Donald Trump’s most consequential Cabinet picks and sets up a tense future as McConnell surprised his conference in voting “no” a day after supporting moving the process forward.

In a vote that fell mostly along party lines, the upper chamber voted 51-50 to confirm Hegseth to run the Pentagon and its sprawling, $840 billion budget.

McConnell, the former GOP leader, emerged as a surprise “no” vote on Friday, joining Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in opposition. Their defections forced Vance to travel to the Capitol to cast his first tiebreaker as vice president.

McConnell issued a lengthy statement defending his rejection of Hegseth, highlighting the charged geopolitical moment and the “gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II.” (Read more from “Hegseth confirmed: Vance comes to rescue after McConnell rebellion forces tiebreaker” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Pete Hegseth Clears Major Procedural Hurdle — One Step Closer to Confirmation

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Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth got one step closer to confirmation after his nomination passed a major procedural hurdle on Thursday afternoon.

The full Senate voted 51-49 to consider Hegseth’s nomination, which will likely take place Friday evening.

Hegseth’s nomination advanced despite a last-ditch effort by Senate Democrats to derail it.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that Hegseth’s estranged ex-sister-in-law claimed he was abusive towards his ex-wife Samantha Deering — despite Deering telling NBC News that there was no abuse in their marriage and what they were planning to report was “inaccurate.”

Furthermore, both the ex-sister-in-law, Danielle Dietrich — who was married to and divorced from Hegseth’s brother, and Deering were interviewed by the FBI for Hegseth’s background investigation, and the investigation results came back as “unremarkable.” (Read more from “Pete Hegseth Clears Major Procedural Hurdle — One Step Closer to Confirmation” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

How the NBC News Hit Piece Against Pete Hegseth Just Got Worse, But for a Different Reason

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You cannot make this up: one of the NBC News reporters who wrote the shoddy hit piece against President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense is accused in an internal complaint of making false claims of sexism and misogyny.

You read that right. And she then had the balls to run with this cockamamie story of Mr. Hegseth reportedly being threatening toward his second wife, who later refuted the allegations, characterizing them as inaccurate information. NBC News ran with it anyway. To boot, the allegations weren’t even brought forward by Mr. Hegseth’s ex-wife but by the ex-spouse of his brother. Are you kidding me?

(Read more from “How the NBC News Hit Piece Against Pete Hegseth Just Got Worse, But for a Different Reason” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Why the Latest Pete Hegseth Character Assassination Attempt Lasted About Two Seconds

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Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be the next secretary of defense would be a partisan vote, advancing to the Senate on a 14-13 vote from the Armed Services Committee. The Democrats failed to derail one of President Trump’s top picks, but that doesn’t mean there will be Hail Mary attempts to stop Hegseth. We have another character assassination attempt at the zero hour, where the ex-wife of Hegseth’s brother alleges a bunch of nonsense that’s so laughable it’s not worthy of being mentioned. Read the NBC News article, but notice how they bury the most important part of the story [emphasis mine]:

Senators received an affidavit Tuesday from the former sister-in-law of defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in which she says his behavior caused his second wife to fear for her safety. The receipt of the affidavit comes after Senate Armed Services Committee staffers were in contact with Hegseth’s former sister-in-law for several days.

The former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, submitted the affidavit in response to a Jan. 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., seeking “a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.”

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Danielle describes in the affidavit allegations of volatile and threatening conduct by Hegseth that made his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, fear for her safety. Among the allegations are that Samantha hid in a closet once from Hegseth, that she developed escape plans for use “if she felt she needed to get away from Hegseth” that would be activated with a code word and that she did once put the escape plans into action.

At least 15 senators — including multiple Republicans — had reviewed the affidavit as of 2:30 p.m. ET, according to a Senate staffer.

Two days before Congress received the affidavit, NBC News asked Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth, to comment on details of some of the allegations in the affidavit.

(Read more from “Why the Latest Pete Hegseth Character Assassination Attempt Lasted About Two Seconds” HERE)

Dem Senator Who Attacked Hegseth Over Christian Tattoo Has Ties To Hamas Apologist Org

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Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is attacking a Trump administration nominee’s Christian views despite her yearslong partnership with a radical Muslim group.

Warren sent a critical letter to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth before he testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, questioning his fitness based in part on Christian tattoos that she labeled extremist and became a topic of the hearing. However, Warren spent years backing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which calls itself a Muslim civil rights organization, before she went quiet as the White House denounced CAIR for sympathizing with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

A CAIR press release published days after the attacks said Israeli oppression was the “root cause” of Hamas’s violence. The White House condemned the group in December 2023 after National Executive Director Nihad Awad said he was “happy to see” Palestinians breaking their “shackles” when Hamas invaded Israel, killed more than 1,100 people, raped women and took hundreds of hostages. Awad later claimed his words were taken out of context and that CAIR does not approve of Hamas killing civilians.

Zahra Billoo, the executive director of CAIR San Francisco, made headlines last year by saying Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s “martyrdom will not be in vain.” (Read more from “Dem Senator Who Attacked Hegseth Over Christian Tattoo Has Ties To Hamas Apologist Org” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr