Pete Hegseth Grilled By Congress As Iran War Drags On
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Grilled By Congress As Iran War Drags On
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly said that the Iran war would be over within a matter of weeks at the start of the conflict. As the war approaches the 60-day mark, it’s clear that neither Trump nor Hegseth has a real plan to get the U.S. out of this mess. So it should come as no surprise that Hegseth has been particularly combative this week during hearings before Congress when asked simple questions like “how much longer is this war going to continue?” or “How much has the Iran war cost us?”
According to NPR, Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. During the hearing, several Democratic lawmakers grilled Hegseth about the war’s changing timeline. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) asked Hegseth what the ultimate endgame of the war is.
“You have to stare down this kind of enemy who’s hell-bent on getting a nuclear weapon, and get them to a point where they’re at the table, giving it up,” Hegseth replied.
Smith then pressed Hegseth on his flip-flopping on Iran’s nuclear capabilities, pointing out that two months ago, the Trump administration said an Iranian nuclear weapon “was an imminent threat. Now you’re saying it’s completely obliterated.” Hegseth responded by saying that Iran “had not given up their nuclear ambitions.”
Well, of course, they haven’t given up their ambitions, you dummy.
First of all, you killed the guy who issued a “fatwa” against nuclear weapons. Secondly, Israel and the United States’ prolonged bombing campaign, along with threats to send Iran “back to the stone age,” is only going to make the Iranian people believe that a nuclear weapon is necessary to deter future attacks.
For a guy who got famous off “The Art of the Deal,” Trump and his cronies sure seem to understand f-all when it comes to diplomacy and negotiations. Which, you know, isn’t terribly surprising considering this is an administration comprised of TV personalities and unskilled “experts.”
Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-N.Y.), himself an Army veteran, had a particularly heated exchange over the decision to deploy U.S. troops to a U.S. base in the Port of Shuaiba shortly before the war, despite knowing it would likely be subject to a retaliatory strike. The base was struck only one day after the war had started, killing six troops who were stationed there.
Ryan lambasted the lack of defensive support for the troops and read quotes from soldiers who survived the attack. “No counter drone capabilities, no counter rocket systems, no counter mortar or counter artillery, not even the basic overhead protection you and I had 20 years ago in Iraq, and now, six of our soldiers are dead,” Ryan said. “The next day, you downplayed the attack. You said it was a ‘squirter’ that squeaked through fortified defenses.”
Ryan added that Hegseth’s account of events differs significantly from that of the soldiers who were actually deployed to the base. “Are you saying that these soldiers who survived this horrific attack are lying?” Ryan asked.
Hegseth defended his decision-making and said the deaths were “tragic” but the “consequence of conflict.” That’s exactly what I would want to hear if I were fighting an unnecessary war that got six of my fellow soldiers killed.
Things only got more heated when Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) asked Hegseth if he was aware of how much the war in Iran is costing U.S. citizens with increases in fuel, food, and other goods.
“I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb,” Hegseth replied. “You’re playing gotcha questions about domestic things.”
“You’re saying it’s a gotcha question to ask what it’s going to be in terms of the increased price of gas and food?” Khanna responded. “It’s an increase of $5,000 a year for American households…. You don’t even know what the average American is paying. You don’t know what we paid in terms of the missiles that hit the Iranian school, you don’t know what we’re paying in terms of gas.”
So yeah, folks. It’s safe to say Hegseth and the Trump administration at large aren’t particularly concerned about the domestic impact of the Iran war. Hegseth’s testimony didn’t do much to justify the war and simply dashed any hopes that the conflict would end soon.
I love that for us.
SEE ALSO:
From Groceries To Cyberattacks: How The Iran War Is Affecting The US
Inflation Hit Highest 1 Month Spike In 4 Years Due To Iran War
Senate Democrats Estimate Iran War Cost Americans $8.4B In Gas Prices
Economists Warn Iran War Increases Risk Of Recession In Next 12 Months
