Pete Hegseth 'mishap' could have delivered decisive blow against Trump: report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may have buried President Donald Trump with remarks made to celebrate his federal takeover of Washington, D.C.'s crime-fighting.
Trump announced Monday the takeover, vowing to eradicate “slums” and crack down on crime. But Hegseth's comments during the announcement could end up undermining Trump’s legal defense in a related court case.
The state of California sued the Trump administration in June over its deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, alleging the order exceeded the president’s authority and violated federal law that forbids the use of military for law enforcement purposes. And on Monday, Hegseth may have undercut the Trump administration’s legal footing in the case even further.
“They will be strong, they will be tough, and they will stand with their law enforcement partners,” Hegseth said during the press conference. “In Los Angeles, we did the same thing, working with the California National Guard, working with ICE officers.”
Hegseth’s comments, according to All Rise News editor-in-chief Adam Klasfeld, were requested to be entered into evidence for California’s case against the Trump administration, and according to The New Republic, were quickly admitted by the presiding judge — much to the ire of Trump administration officials.
“Hegseth’s comments were ultimately admitted by the judge, Klasfeld reports, despite the Trump administration objecting on the grounds that they were not already on the exhibit list,” wrote The New Republic reporter Robert McCoy.
“The judge reportedly observed that the remarks could not have been included on the exhibit list previously, considering they just happened. This is apparently the sort of mishap that occurs when one doesn’t wait for their potential military occupation of one city to play out in court before moving on to the next.”
Hegseth has caused a number of headaches for the Trump administration, with his relatively short tenure leading the Defense Department having been plagued with controversies, most self-inflicted.
In late March and early April, Hegseth shared confidential military plans through the encrypted messaging app signal in a group chat in which a journalist had been mistakenly included, he’s been under fire for using polygraph tests on staff to oust leakers and determine loyalty, and past allegations against him of sexual assault and alcohol abuse have continued to resurface.