GOP Senator blasts Hegseth's rant as impeachment talk grows

[0:00] As for Republicans in the face of all of this, they are looking for someone to blame. Much of that right now landing on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is overseeing what voters made very clear, the unpopular war with Iran. He's facing a possible impeachment vote in the House just next week. His reaction to all of this, he's lashing out, posting, well, this video, calling the effort a sham. [0:26] CNN's Brian Todd has much more on what is about to happen here. Brian, what's happening behind the scenes when it comes to Pete Hegseth, what he's trying to do, and what he's facing? [0:35] Well, Kate, CNN's latest reporting from our colleagues Adam Kankren, Sarah Farris, Zachary Cohn, and Elena Train is that there is a clear movement this morning to push Pete Hegseth out, and it's being undertaken not only by Democrats, but by many Republicans as well. [0:49] Multiple Republican sources tell CNN that many people in the party have turned on Pete Hegseth. They, of course, cite the Iran war as a huge reason that Republicans were so roundly defeated in the midterms, and they fault Hegseth for overselling the war and for how the war has been conducted. [1:05] The House could vote as soon as next week to impeach Pete Hegseth. [1:09] Now Hegseth and his team have flooded social media with videos and images of Hegseth in an aggressive push to defend him and his record. [1:17] Here is a clip from a defiant video that Hegseth posted on X yesterday afternoon. [1:23] You see, they attack me. They attack us because we are effective. [1:28] This is not about me. But, of course, the other side, in case you've noticed, they're obsessed. [1:35] President Trump has remained publicly supportive of Pete Hegseth, CNN's reporting that even though Trump has surveyed his allies about Hegseth's performance, [1:46] Trump does personally like him and has told his aides that he believes Hegseth should fight back against the impeachment efforts. [1:53] Now Hegseth has, of course, drawn sharp criticism since taking office early last year, not only for the Iran war, but for a series of other controversies, [2:00] so-called Signalgate, where he inadvertently looped in a journalist on a Signal chat and divulged U.S. strike plans. [2:07] He's fired several well-regarded generals and other top officers with little or no explanation. [2:12] He's been accused of firing or failing to promote women and people of color, [2:16] and he's been fixated on the physical appearance of U.S. troops and other aspects of what critics call his culture wars inside the Pentagon, [2:24] going as far as using a slur to describe transgender service members as he outlined his continued efforts to reshape the force. [2:31] We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that, no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors. [2:51] Now one source familiar with President Trump's thinking has told CNN that the president may feel a need to keep Pete Hegseth around if he decides to launch additional strikes against Iran, [3:00] especially because with the Democrats' new majority in the Senate, it's going to be tough to confirm whoever Trump might name to replace Hegseth. [3:07] What could be happening to Pete Hegseth? [3:10] The blame he is now facing from Republicans and Democrats alike for the strategy of the Iran war is from Democrats, [3:20] but Republicans are blaming him for their election losses. [3:23] And then he's put out this video on social media defending himself. [3:27] One of the people who's been most outspoken and critical of him is Republican Senator outgoing Tom Tillis, [3:32] and he just responded to Hegseth this morning. [3:35] He put this out. [3:36] Pete Hegseth, cabinet secretary shouldn't be wasting taxpayer dollars on campaign-style videos. [3:40] Kristi Noem learned that the hard way. [3:42] This is about you, the incompetence you've displayed, the bad advice you've given to the president, [3:47] and your shameful and embarrassing episodes from firing our top generals to texting war plans to reporters. [3:52] I mean, there's a lot there. [3:53] What do you think the real impact could be if Hegseth is pushed out? [3:57] Or does strategy change, do you think? [4:00] Well, first, I want to say that it is illegal to use funds to make campaign ads. [4:05] And the Defense Department right now is seeking $1.5 trillion. [4:10] It's a huge amount of money. [4:11] Right now, Kate, they don't have this money. [4:14] So the secretary should be focused on getting that money. [4:17] This is a distraction. [4:19] You know, I wouldn't be surprised. [4:21] That's potentially with the people on the Hill that need to approve it. [4:23] Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the president decided to make a change. [4:27] All we need to do is go back and look at the George W. Bush administration. [4:31] After the midterm elections, he told Donald Rumsfeld, [4:35] this war in Iraq is not going the way I want, and you're going to pay the price, essentially. [4:39] So I wouldn't be surprised if that happened, because essentially, President Trump wants [4:44] to regain the narrative on Iran. [4:47] He's lost it. [4:48] Republican Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky confirms he will bring articles of impeachment [4:52] against Hegseth when lawmakers return to Congress on Monday. [4:55] I wanted to talk about this because, yes, Democrats are interested in going after Hegseth. [5:00] I think that is fair. [5:01] However, Republicans, unfortunately, have been the ones, like Thomas Massey, to bring this [5:07] up, Tom Tillis, to discuss how frustrated they are. [5:11] So will Democrats be inadvertently or on purpose led in this direction, essentially, by these [5:17] frustrated Republicans? [5:19] Yes. [5:20] Look, I think there is a strong likelihood that we see this proceed. [5:26] And I think there are a lot of Republicans on Capitol Hill who are not happy with Pete Hegseth. [5:31] So it's not just the frustrated, the wounded bear caucus. [5:33] You think there are others? [5:34] Yeah, I think there could be. [5:36] We'll have to see. [5:37] Maybe there's not enough to actually proceed with this. [5:41] But I do think that Hegseth is in big trouble. [5:42] And you can tell from that video. [5:44] I mean, that is not a statement, a sort of production that exudes a lot of confidence. [5:50] And I certainly think the president is watching that as well and is not happy with this kind [5:55] of negative tension. [5:56] Well, here, let me place you with the president on Wednesday, only because people have been asking. [5:58] He was asked directly about Hegseth's future. [6:05] No, I think he's doing a very good job. [6:08] But meanwhile, you've got guys like Steve Bannon in the war room saying this about Hegseth on Thursday. [6:16] I got the fact he's done a great job with the push-ups and the warrior thing and getting [6:20] recruitment up and having a more esprit de corps and motivational. [6:25] But we're talking about a kinetic war. [6:29] We're talking about actually going to a war against the Persians. [6:31] And here we are a long way from victory. [6:35] Who's accountable for that? [6:36] Is it the commander-in-chief or is it the head of the Department of War or is it the chairman [6:41] of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? [6:45] Luke? [6:46] I'll say this. [6:47] I have been amazed at how remarkably resilient Hegseth has been fumbling his way through this [6:53] job. [6:53] I recall SignalGate just got memory holed. [6:55] And we've now had subsequent issues. [6:57] He's testing testosterone and doing flutter kicks and whatever else the hell he's doing [7:02] there with his bad tattoo. [7:04] The reality is the president does seem to like him. [7:06] The president does seem to trust him. [7:08] And there is something durable about that you have to kind of respect. [7:11] I think the issue for me is let's see what happens with the Iran war. [7:13] If some kind of resolution is made either by hook or by crook, by force from a war powers [7:18] resolution or whoever, who knows, that might take the heat off of him. [7:22] I really do believe that. [7:23] At least get Trump to double down on his support for him. [7:26] But if that continues to go awry, I mean, the voting that we saw on Tuesday was about [7:30] the Iran war, not so much SignalGate. [7:32] That lingering issue, I think, is going to haunt him or not. [7:34] It's going to make or break. [7:35] Yeah. [7:36] He's become not the sacrificial lamb, but with everyone saying it was the war, stupid, [7:40] it's coming up. [7:41] Just a process point, that video, I'm curious as to who approved it. [7:45] Was it just out of the Secretary of Defense's office or did the White House? [7:50] And I actually think the White House was tagged in the Instagram post, I believe, so we can [7:53] confirm that. [7:55] Please collaborate. [7:56] Please collaborate, right? [7:57] You know, at White House or at Donald Trump. [8:00] No, please clap. [8:00] But it's interesting because you don't, I think somebody, it might have been you even, [8:04] who said this production, that kind of video does not get produced without the blessing [8:09] of the White House. [8:10] And so if this is a question of, is this Pete Hegseth fighting for his life or the White [8:16] House trying to defend him via social media post, it's an open question. [8:20] And I think to all of these things, does he have the backing of the White House? [8:23] It seems that he might. [8:24] David Urban, welcome to the table. [8:27] And I'm going to start with you. [8:29] You're a military man. [8:31] Should Pete Hegseth be impeached? [8:34] Listen, you know, obviously impeachment's a political decision. [8:37] It's a political action, not legal. [8:39] So it's up to the Congress to determine whether Pete Hegseth gets impeached. [8:43] The House undoubtedly will, they'll move to impeach him. [8:46] It seems like they have the votes to get it through, as the Congressman Massey's alluding [8:51] to. [8:52] If they don't get it done this session, I assure you, when they get back in January, [8:56] they'll have enough votes and they'll move to impeach. [8:58] And they'll have a, they'll have a impeachment proceeding in the House. [9:02] Because, you know, it's not just that they have the votes. [9:05] It's that some Republicans want him gone. [9:07] Listen, I'm saying they'll have, they may have the votes this time, right, with Republicans. [9:11] They surely will have the votes next time. [9:13] So it's only a matter of time until it gets impeached. [9:17] I suspect that they'll, it will be not pleasant for him. [9:21] You think it's going to happen? [9:22] Yeah, I think it's going to happen. [9:23] I think it's going to happen. [9:24] And, and it'll go to the Senate and he's right. [9:27] You know, it'll be the same fate. [9:29] You're not going to get 66 members to vote because there's not 66 Democrats. [9:33] They'll get close. [9:34] They may have some Republicans join them in the Senate. [9:37] There may be a few. [9:38] So he's, he's, you know, when you're, when the war is what's, what's, was stuck in the crux of a lot of people. [9:44] There's lots of reasons why Republicans lost, but the war is one of them. [9:48] And when your title, when the name, when the word war is in your title and it's going badly, [9:53] you might want to think, look for a new job. [9:56] Thomas Massey, speaking of, who is sort of ginning this up, wrote today on X, [10:04] if Trump's going to replace appointees like Hegseth, he should do so while he can get the replacements [10:09] confirmed in the Senate. [10:10] that also my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what's coming [10:16] when Dems control Congress, they'll have hearings and trials. [10:22] Well, half of that, half of that is obviously correct. [10:24] I do love that all of a sudden Thomas Massey is the friend of the Democrats. [10:27] This is an anti-Semitic kook who is a sore loser. [10:31] He's someone who is the worst kind of Republican. [10:34] And all of a sudden he's being embraced by the left because he happens to be taking a position that some on the far left hold. [10:40] You know, he's got a, Pete Hegseth's got another job and it's waiting for him in Tennessee. [10:45] And if the idea from the left is to try to get rid of him. [10:47] Actually, that's not true because actually, Marsha Blackburn, they're saying that. [10:51] Marsha Blackburn, let me explain to the audience what you're talking about. [10:55] Marsha Blackburn was going, you know, had been asked, there had been this idea that somehow Pete Hegseth was going to exit stage left [11:03] and be appointed senator in Tennessee. [11:06] And CNN has reporting to suggest that that is not going to happen. [11:10] No golden parachute is waiting for Hegseth. [11:12] She tweeted it out. [11:14] Yeah. [11:14] She threw cold water on that, which is, I think, a very smart decision because that should not be her first act as governor [11:20] to appoint Pete Hegseth to fill that vacant seat. [11:23] So I think that good on her for saying that. [11:26] I would say this. [11:27] There's always horse trading goes on, right? [11:28] So never say never, and never say never. [11:33] That's all I would say. [11:34] The point is, you could easily frame this as they've gone after him, it's unfair, don't like how that happened. [11:40] This was not the intent, but if you're going to do this, I'm going to do the right thing and give him this position [11:43] because I think he's earned it. [11:44] There's a way that they're trying to massage a lot of this because it does look like a bad move right out the gate [11:50] and it seems kind of shady, I think, to an average person who's not following this. [11:53] But I do think that there is an easy avenue for that. [11:55] I just, I don't understand the timing other than Thomas Massey wanting to get one more little stab. [12:01] Can we go back to the original point, though, which is, should Pete Hegseth be impeached? [12:07] Yes. [12:07] I mean, okay, tell me why. [12:09] Listen, you're going to have a new member of Congress from South Carolina, three-star Navy Admiral, Nancy LaCour, [12:16] who was fired by Pete Hegseth, not because of just cause, but just because he wanted to fire her. [12:23] And that is the type of member that you're going to have coming to Washington, D.C. [12:28] And there are so many examples of Nancy LaCour's that are out there, that are in the military, [12:33] people who have served this nation dutifully. [12:36] And they were let go because of Pete Hegseth, because of whatever reason. [12:40] He woke up that morning and maybe he didn't have a cocktail the night before. [12:43] I don't know. [12:44] But he made up a decision and then he fired good people in our military. [12:49] He's gutted the military and a lot of that credibility. [12:51] So there are a lot of reasons. [12:53] And Democrats and Republicans want to get rid of this guy. [12:56] And if they want to go and take that anchor and then put that anchor back into the United States Senate, [13:02] the hearings are still going to happen about what Pete Hegseth did as Secretary of Defense, [13:07] because it's not the Department of War, you have to, Congress has to change the name. [13:13] So, I mean, you've mostly got a bunch of anonymous Republicans who say they're willing to do this. [13:18] So does this happen before the year is up? [13:19] Probably not. [13:20] Does this need to happen? [13:22] I mean, Pete Hegseth has had this, developed this kind of practiced, arrogant, flippancy that he has deployed. [13:29] Even if you like everything that he has attempted to do with the Pentagon, the Department of War, as it's now called, [13:35] you probably don't like the way that he's gone about doing it. [13:39] Even the video that he's released now, I mean, I'm defiant, I'm going to fight. [13:43] The way that he's gone about doing it, the messaging, all of it seems like a bit much [13:48] and is perhaps attracting a bit more attention to himself than he might like. [13:51] The president of the United States is very much on his side, it seems, at least when he's asked about this directly. [13:57] Certainly, a lot of the reporting suggests that even behind the scenes, he's telling Pete that he's his guy. [14:02] I suspect that he's not going to try to throw him under the bus and take Massey up on his offer right now. [14:07] Well, and part of it, I think, is because he's defending himself so forcefully, [14:10] which is what President Trump wants from Pete Hegseth and wants from all of his staff members who might be... [14:15] But doesn't that seem incredibly tone-deaf? [14:18] Defending himself? [14:20] No. [14:20] You have had an enormous shellacking. [14:24] The GOP has been wiped out in Texas, in Kansas, in Iowa. [14:30] And what we are hearing from the president and his team is that it's business as usual. [14:37] I mean, I'm going to play a little bit more of Pete Hegseth, [14:40] talking about why he thinks Democrats are going out after him. [14:45] But why do the Democrats and the deep state radicals really hate us? [14:52] Because we tore down their sacred cows, one by one, and without apology. [15:00] DEI is a Marxist ideology built to destroy us, so we crushed it. [15:05] Diversity is not our strength, our unity is. [15:08] Patriot extremism, it's not a thing. [15:11] Being trans is a mental illness incompatible with military service. [15:14] The press is free in America, but not free to roam our classified spaces here at the Pentagon. [15:21] Narco-terrorists should die, not be caught and released. [15:26] And when we say that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, we actually mean it. [15:32] I mean, this sounds like, take me back to 2024. [15:36] This is the greatest hits of a previous election, trans, DEI. [15:41] This didn't play so well. [15:43] Yeah, I mean, well, that just shows what his priorities are. [15:46] At a time when our nation is at war, gas prices are skyrocketing, [15:50] and people are wondering when we're going to wind this war down and get an end to it. [15:54] That's what Pete Hegseth is focused on, making social media videos, [15:57] talking about trans people, saying that diversity isn't our strength, [16:01] which I believe it is, and wanting to do push-up contests and things like that. [16:06] I mean, it's absolutely absurd, and I think that he deserves to be impeached for plenty of reasons. [16:13] I mean, I can think back to SignalGate and him texting war plans, [16:17] and then the botched war that we've carried out with Iran [16:20] that I don't believe that we should have gotten into in the first place. [16:23] I think that that was a grave mistake on this president's part. [16:26] And I think that the president is going to need someone to pin the blame on, [16:29] because we know Trump won't accept responsibility himself. [16:32] And Pete Hegseth would make the perfect fall guy for him. [16:34] If they want to win back voters who are upset with this country and this president [16:39] for going back on his promise to be the peace president [16:41] and not get us into another endless Middle East conflict, [16:44] I don't think that he wants to be like that. [16:46] Do you think Trump cares, though? [16:47] I mean, I have seen no evidence since Tuesday [16:51] that President Trump is either aware of what happened, [16:55] cares about what happened, and is going to react to what happened. [16:59] I think the answer to all three of those is yes, yes, and yes. [17:02] I mean, I think he knows, he cares, and he will react. [17:05] I think the Hegseth, you know, the video, great camera angle, by the way. [17:09] You can tell Pete was a former news guy, very good shot, very well framed. [17:15] But, you know, some of the things he says, you know, [17:18] are kind of jingoistic and clearly meant to get a rise, right? [17:22] And one of the things he says, though, is very troubling and quite controversial [17:27] is the narco-trafficking, the killing of the narco-traffickers. [17:33] You know, these people are generally considered non-combatants, [17:37] and there was a memo done that said, no, we're at war, [17:40] these are combatants, and now we can kill them. [17:42] That is going to be a very contested point. [17:47] And reporting has suggested that some of the people that were killed were not even narco-terrorists. [17:51] So that's going to be a contested point. [17:53] Listen, this isn't without precedent. [17:55] And President Obama, there are a lot of dirty hands. [17:57] President Obama killed a U.S. citizen in Somalia with a Reaper strike, [18:02] killed him without, you know, without prejudice, no hearing. [18:07] He was a U.S. citizen living in Somalia. [18:10] Boom, you're dead, right? [18:11] There was no hearing. [18:12] There was no impeachment. [18:13] So it's a little bit, it's a little bit, you know, sketchy in terms of, like, throwing stones. [18:17] But when you go out there and say these people should die and make that kind of statement, [18:21] there's a lot of folks on the Republican side of the aisle in the military, support the military, [18:27] to think, hey, maybe we shouldn't be doing that with these folks. [18:30] Normally what they had done, the Coast Guard had done for years, [18:32] they have 50 cows, they fly in helicopters, they shoot out the engines, [18:36] they capture these folks, they put them in prison, and they go away, right? [18:40] Now we're smoking them. [18:41] I don't think it impacts the drug trade at all. [18:44] I think it's performative largely. [18:47] It has no impact. [18:48] Actually, I think cocaine prices have gone down since we've been doing this, not up. [18:54] So it's been ineffective, is essentially what you're saying. [18:56] It's been ineffective. [18:57] And it might be potentially illegal or ineffectual. [19:00] And so that is something that if we, as Americans, the military, right, does the right thing always, right? [19:06] We're the good guys. [19:06] We're the white hat guys in the United States. [19:08] And so we've got to walk that fine line. [19:10] And when they push that line to its gray edge, it's not something people in the military like to do. [19:16] I don't think that the commanders are super comfortable with that.