How I Will Make Trump Fire Ultimate Goon: Rep — The Daily Beast Podcast

[0:00] It's worse than incompetent. I think he's a vengeful individual who not just lacks the [0:07] qualification, but has a meanness to him and a corruption of his heart and soul to him [0:17] that allows him to do things to people in organizations that most normal people would [0:23] not do. I think he is in extreme danger, which is why my focus has been getting him fired, [0:29] basically. I would love to have him impeached. And of course, I would pursue that. But we don't have [0:33] the votes for that. So what can we do? We can make it so untenable for him and highlight the level of [0:40] corruption and the incompetence. I'm Joanna Coles. This is the Daily Beast podcast. And what a moment [0:48] for Pete Hegseth when Jason Crow, the congressman from Colorado, put him under the spotlight at the [0:56] select committee hearings yesterday. I've never seen anybody look more uncomfortable. Hegseth, [1:01] of course, shifted uncomfortably in his seat and tried to suggest that the congressman was doing [1:09] all sorts of jujitsu to get him to say something he didn't mean to say. But, well, he looked terrible [1:16] and it was a terrible hearing for him. Mr. Parlatori, as your senior advisor, correct? [1:22] He does reserve duty on behalf of the Navy. His title is senior advisor. You gave him that title, [1:29] correct? And I would count him as very much an advisor of mine. Tim Parlatori has been a long-term [1:33] friend. He sits in meetings with you and advises you, doesn't he? He sits in some meetings on [1:41] occasion. Well, he maintains a desk and an office in the Pentagon. Does he not? I'd have to check. [1:47] You don't know? It's a big Pentagon. You directly commissioned Mr. Parlatori in the Naval Reserve as a [1:55] Navy commander in March 2025. Did you not? I was very proud to do so. And when you did, [2:01] because he's a Navy Reserve officer, he didn't have to go through the PPO process, [2:06] the White House Presidential Personnel Office, right? He wasn't vetted by a White House PPO. [2:11] Uniformed service members don't get vetted by a White House PPO. The answer is yes. He didn't [2:14] have to be vetted by a White House PPO. He didn't go through the Senate confirmation process either, [2:19] did he? The answer is no. I don't know what you're getting to, but Tim is a fantastic man. [2:25] I'll tell you what I'm getting to. The answer is no, right? He does great work. [2:29] Okay. Was it true that he was accused of lying by the president's legal team? [2:33] I'm not familiar to, you'd have to give me the, well, it's right here. You want to look at the [2:40] statement from the president? Anybody can blow up a quote and claim it says something and that's [2:44] what you're doing in a little stunt. Secretary Hegseth, what I'm really concerned about is you [2:47] purport to be, have unfaltering loyalty to president Trump. And yet you are continuously [2:52] going. Oh, you care a lot about president Trump, don't you? This is a cute waste of your five minutes, [2:56] a huge, cute waste of your five minutes that led nowhere. I reclaim my time. [3:01] And as we've seen, these hearings turn out to be bad for cabinet secretaries. Kristi Noem left [3:07] shortly after hers. Pam Bondi left shortly after hers. Who knows how long Pete Hegseth is going to [3:13] last. And this is a shorter interview than we would normally do, but we felt the urgency of the [3:19] moment made sense for us to squeeze into the congressman's schedule. But we're going to come [3:24] back in three weeks with a much longer interview with him. So just one more quick but important [3:31] note. After we recorded our interview with Jason Crow, Tim Palatori sent a letter to the congressman [3:38] denying Crow's accusations and questions in his testimony. Palatori also offered a statement in [3:45] response to the comments made in this podcast, which Crow's team has responded to. We will be linking [3:51] to that letter and those statements in the episode description. Anyway, let's get into it. Before [3:58] we do, I'm just going to ask you to press the subscribe button if you would. We can bring you [4:02] these conversations because we are independent media and we really appreciate your support. [4:08] OK, that's enough. Let's get into it. Congressman. [4:11] Congressman, you are the talk of DC. You pulled a full Gordon Ramsay and filleted [4:21] Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, war, who knows what he's the secretary of, possibly chaos, [4:28] possibly forever war. What was the significance of you asking about Tim Palatori? Who is Tim Palatori [4:37] and why are you anxious about him? Well, there's rightfully a lot of attention on the quagmire that [4:46] is the war in Iran now, the vaccine mandate, all the things they're doing to jeopardize our service [4:53] members. But there hasn't been as much attention paid to the rank corruption and the pay to pay [4:59] politics that Pete Hegseth and his cronies have turned a lot of the Department of Defense and his [5:05] front office into. Right. So the significance of this is you have a man in Tim Palatori who used to be [5:13] Pete Hegseth, private attorney, who has basically been given a key role in the in the Department of [5:20] Defense and the ability to maintain a private law practice at the same time. And I can explain how [5:26] they've been able to pull this off so that he can earn money, be paid by God knows who. At the same time, [5:32] he's advising the secretary of defense on promotions and important national security issues. It is not just [5:40] corruption, but it's jeopardizing. In my view, it's jeopardizing our safety and the security of [5:45] Americans. So so how does this happen? Because normally there's a vetting process. So something [5:51] like this should be flagged. But the implication of your questions yesterday in the committee was that [5:57] normal processes had not been followed. That's right. Well, first of all, what Pete Hegseth has done, [6:06] you know, he claims unfaltering loyalty to Donald Trump. But then he's hiring people who Donald Trump [6:12] has fired, who he has disparaged in the case of Tim Palatori. Like this is a lawyer who used to serve [6:19] as a lawyer for Donald Trump in his campaign, was fired by Trump and his campaign team and called a [6:25] liar and disparaged by Donald Trump. Pete Hegseth uses a very unique set of appointments. So what he did [6:34] was he appointed parlatory, did a direct commission, and made him a Navy Reserve Officer. And by making [6:43] him a Navy Reserve Officer, a couple of things happened. Number one, this position, which is [6:49] normally a Senate confirmed political appointee position, was not. It's a military position. So he [6:56] bypasses the Senate confirmation process. And by making him a reserve officer, it also bypasses the White [7:03] House vetting process through the PPO, the personnel office of the White House. So that's how he bypassed [7:12] all of those normal processes. This person didn't have a security clearance when he first made the [7:17] appointment. It's unclear whether he still does. And then on top of it, also by making him a Navy Reserve [7:22] Officer, it allows him to maintain a private business, a consultancy or a law firm, and make money at the [7:29] same time as he's working basically full time at the Pentagon as well. So that's how they have been [7:35] able to take advantage of loopholes in the system to do what they have set up at the Pentagon. [7:40] Wow. And do we know why Donald Trump fired him? [7:44] We're we are trying to get to the bottom of that. I mean, there's some something bad happened with [7:49] Parla Tori and Donald Trump's lawyers in the White House. We're not really sure what. So there's [7:54] there are really more questions and answers at this point. Let me tell you about this neat wallet [8:03] by Ridge. And it's one of those upgrades you notice immediately because it's super slim, [8:08] it fits comfortably in your front pocket, and it still holds up to 12 cards plus cash without [8:15] turning into a George Constanza lump. The design is clean and it's modern and it's built from premium [8:23] materials like aluminum and carbon fiber. So it actually feels durable, not like something you're [8:29] going to have to replace in a year. Plus, it has RFID blocking, which provides some peace of mind when [8:36] traveling or in crowded places. They've got a ton of styles too, so you can actually pick something that [8:42] fits your vibe. And honestly, with the lifetime warranty, this is probably the last wallet you'll need. [8:48] Right now you can get 10% off with code BEAST at Ridge.com. Seriously, go check it out. That's Ridge.com, [8:56] code BEAST for 10% off. And after you buy, make sure you tell them that our show sent you. It really helps us out. [9:07] Does Donald Trump know that Tim Pellatore is working as a special advisor in the Pentagon for the secretary? [9:18] Well, that's why I did my questioning. I was in part speaking to Donald Trump, which I never do. [9:23] Audience of one. Audience of one. [9:25] Exactly. There's no love loss between me and Donald Trump, clearly. The man tried to indict me and put [9:31] me in prison in February, accused me of treason, said he was going to have me executed. So I was an [9:38] impeachment prosecutor in their first impeachment trial. So there's a long history between Donald Trump [9:43] and I, of us going at each other. But in this instance, I was highlighting for the White House [9:51] that Pete Hegseth is grabbing people and putting them in key political positions where they are able [9:59] to make tremendous amounts of money, who the White House has disparaged and cast out into the street. [10:04] Well, you also implied that Tim Pellatore in his legal work had clients who were foreign countries. [10:13] Pete Hegseth didn't seem to know. I mean, we literally it will be a masterclass for legal students. [10:20] I think the way you filleted him yesterday was an extraordinary performance and you could see him [10:25] sort of dancing on the head of a pin. Do we know if Tim Pellatore is working for foreign governments? [10:31] We have heard many rumors that that could be true. So that is why I asked that question, [10:41] to try to figure that out. But either way, Pete Hegseth answered that. Either yes or no [10:48] is disturbing in its own right. But if the answer is yes, then that's a huge problem, obviously. [10:56] If the answer is no, then Pete Hegseth has appointed someone a senior advisor, [11:01] given them a security clearance, presumably, and positioned them in a senior office and travels [11:06] with somebody and has no idea who his clients are or what potential conflicts of interest are. [11:11] So either way, it's problematic. [11:12] So Pete Hegseth is asking for a budget of $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon. We appear to be stuck [11:24] in a quagmire with the Strait of Hormuz. This is a man who left both veterans' organizations that he was [11:34] working for under accusations of financial incompetence and drunkenness. You've been in [11:42] the military. You've served in Afghanistan, in Iraq. You talk to a lot of people who also served. [11:48] What do you think of Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense slash war? [11:53] I think he's, it's worse than incompetent. I think he is a, he's a vengeful individual who, [12:02] who not just lacks the qualification, but has, has a meanness to him and a corruption of his heart and [12:13] soul to him that allows him to do things to people in organizations that most normal people would not [12:20] do, right? I think he is in extreme danger, which is why my focus has been getting him [12:25] to, getting him fired basically, right? Like, is he going to resign? I've called for him to resign [12:30] and I know it's popular for people to call for him to resign. This man's not going to resign. He's just [12:34] not. I know, I know some people have called for him to impeach. I would love to have him impeached. [12:39] And of course I would pursue that, but we don't have the votes for that either, right? Republicans are [12:44] simply not going to do that right now so long as they hold the majority. So what can we do? We can make it, [12:51] so untenable for him and highlight the level of corruption and the incompetence. As you point out, [12:56] the Strait of Hormuz, there was no plan here. We started a war without a plan for handle very, [13:04] very sensitive items, right? Like how to protect our troops in the region. Clearly there was no plan [13:09] for that. And, and American soldiers and service members are dead as a result of that, right? There [13:14] was no plan for the Strait of Hormuz. In fact, how do we know there was no plan? Because the Department of [13:19] Defense was sending its minesweepers to Asia in the weeks leading up to the war, right? And if, [13:26] if there was a plan to secure the Straits, we wouldn't have been doing that. We would have kept [13:32] those minesweepers in the Middle East because they're essential to keeping the Straits open. So [13:36] this has been bungled from the very start. Do you think that Pete Hegseth survives this war? I mean, [13:45] it felt very clear yesterday that Donald Trump had put him out there to be very much the face of this [13:52] war. I mean, I don't want to say it's a forever war, but the one thing that he promised his MAGA [13:58] base that there would be no wars, there would be no forever wars. Here we are, at least right now, [14:05] it looks like the negotiations have come to a halt. Nobody understands how we're going to get out of [14:11] this situation. Does Pete Hegseth become the inevitable fool guy here? [14:15] I just don't know. Every time I think he's on the ropes, you know, he finds a way to survive. [14:24] I think the way to get Pete Hegseth out of this position is to highlight his incompetence, [14:30] his corruption, painting over the full truth of the advice he's giving to Donald Trump. Donald Trump [14:37] values loyalty, people who are willing to be completely loyal to him, not to their jobs, [14:42] not to the Constitution, to him. But if he thinks that people are incompetent or that there's too much [14:48] drama associated with their job, as is the case of Kristi Noem, he will tire of them. So our job is [14:55] to highlight the corruption, the incompetence, that Pete Hegseth is telling them what he wants to hear [15:02] instead of the truth, you know, painting over ugly realities and giving him bad advice. I think that [15:10] is the most effective way to draw that wedge and to get Pete Hegseth out of this really important [15:15] position where he's jeopardizing our troops. How bad is the corruption, do you think, in the Pentagon? [15:24] Well, what I'm hearing is it's pretty stunning, right? I'm hearing a situation now where general [15:30] officers have to lobby for positions, right? There is a well-defined process for our senior military [15:40] appointments that's based on merit, it's based on performance, it's based on experience. They have [15:47] redesigned that process, funneled it through Pete Hegseth's office so that it's based on loyalty, [15:54] it's based on lobbying. This is stunning that the people who are the most responsible for our [16:02] national security and the welfare of our troops might be getting appointments based on who they're [16:07] paying or who they're lobbying or who they're buddies with. How dangerous is that for our men and women [16:15] who we have a sacred oath to protect? I think we are going to be spending years uncovering corruption, [16:22] the likes of which we have never seen in the United States of America. We have our work cut out for [16:27] us. If we regain the majority, we have an obligation to uncover this corruption, not because we want to [16:34] go after people or be vengeful or settle the score, I have little interest in that, but because they are [16:40] stealing from my constituents, they are stealing from the American people. People who can't afford to pay [16:46] their groceries or their rent or losing their healthcare are having money taken out of their [16:51] pockets and put into the pockets of Donald Trump and his cronies and political hacks. And that is wrong. [16:58] There was also a report in the Financial Times that two days before the war in Iran began, [17:07] Pete Hegseth's bank at Morgan Stanley had looked into investing in an ETF which specialised in defence [17:16] contractors. Now, Pete Hegseth has said that he's denied it. He said, I didn't do that. But I'm assuming [17:24] that it's quite easy for people to take advantage of the knowledge they have and to make investments where [17:34] they know these things are probably going to be advantageous. [17:40] Yeah. One of the things that the Trump era has highlighted is how many holes there are in the [17:45] system that allow corruption, allow conflicts of interest, things that maybe we just took for [17:52] granted as customs and traditions because people come into public service to do the right thing. And [17:57] as soon as you have people in the position who don't care about our traditions and our norms as a [18:03] democracy and are willing to just monetize the position, they drive a truck through those gaps. [18:09] Right. So one of our tasks as we move forward is not rebuilding what once was or taking us back [18:15] to where we were. We need to build a new thing. It has to be different and look different. And it has [18:20] to have a lot more protections against corruptions and conflicts of interest, which is why I've signed [18:26] on to efforts and pushing efforts to ban stock trading for members of Congress. Right. Which is why we [18:31] need to do that for senior positions within the administration too. Like if you want to go into [18:35] public service, you shouldn't be making money and cashing in on that. Right. That should be a sacrifice. [18:40] Service entails sacrifice. Right. And right now, this administration is just turning that on its head. [18:48] And we have our work cut out for us in the years ahead in terms of reform, legislating, and, you know, [18:56] putting brick walls in front of those gaps right now that people are using. [19:00] Okay. Final question, because I know you have to go. But you are part of a relatively new band of [19:08] Democratic Congress people. You took an area in Colorado that had just been held for four previous [19:15] terms by a Republican. You're the first Democrat to be elected in that district. Today, we got the news [19:21] that Janet Mills is no longer standing for the Senate seat in Maine. She's the governor there [19:29] currently. But if she were to win that Senate seat, she would be aged 80 going into the House. [19:35] And one of your military compatriots, Graham Plattner, is likely to get the nomination for that seat. [19:44] So is this a sign of the Democratic Party relinquishing some of their older people and [19:52] realizing that it's time to go with a younger band of candidates? [19:58] No, it's not a sign of that, because what I've learned in politics is that political power is [20:03] never given away. People don't easily seed it and give it away and unfortunately pass the baton [20:09] gracefully to the next generation. It has to be taken. Political power must be taken. And what you're [20:14] seeing is the next generation of leadership, servant leaders stepping up around the country and taking [20:19] that political power. They're fighting for it. They are earning the trust of people. That is why [20:26] I've been proud to be the chair of the battlegrounds. I've been running around the country. I've been in [20:31] New Hampshire and Illinois and Michigan and Wisconsin and Arizona. I've been recruiting that next [20:39] generation of servant leaders who are stepping up to take power back and who are going to [20:44] reform the Democratic Party because we have need massive reform to the party who are going to [20:49] take us in an entirely different direction and who are going to not just win an election. I'm so tired [20:55] of just stumbling from election season to election season. We need a movement that's going to forever [21:02] break the fever of the mega movement and is going to spark a new enlightenment in America, a Democratic [21:11] Enlightenment that's going to move us for a generation in an entirely different direction. [21:16] What an interesting strategy to highlight to an audience of one, Donald Trump, the president, [21:26] that his secretary of defense slash war has been hiring people that he's fired and using a loophole to [21:34] do it. So he needs no Senate confirmation or to go through the usual processes. And there he is, [21:41] sitting in the middle of the Pentagon as a special adviser to Pete Hegseth. Will Pete Hegseth survive? [21:48] Well, Jason Crow hopes he won't. If you have been, thank you for joining us. Don't forget to subscribe to [21:55] our button. Just hit the button on the subscription box. And don't forget to leave us a comment telling [22:01] us what you think. Is this a good strategy to get Donald Trump to pay attention to Pete Hegseth? Let [22:07] us know what you think. So the good news is we have so many Bee Beast tier members now. There are too [22:12] many names to read out. And we really appreciate your support. Thanks to our production team, Devon [22:19] Rogerino, Ryan Murray, Rachel Passer, Heather Passaro, Neil Rosenhaus.