It is nearly impossible to keep track of all the outlandish, norm-breaking, and even illegal things that Donald Trump did as president.

So a quick reminder about one particular and shameful example:

• In 2020, Trump asked that the 82nd Airborne be deployed against civilians in Washington, D.C., who were protesting — in accordance with their constitutional rights — in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

• I was among those protestors, as was one of my children.

• Mark Esper, who was secretary of defense at the time, has since claimed that he talked Trump out of deploying the U.S. military against American citizens on American soil.

On Tuesday, the Senate held a hearing over Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to be secretary of defense in his second term.

Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan asked Hegseth what he would do, as secretary of defense, if Trump issued an illegal or unconstitutional order as commander-in-chief.

It should be a no-brainer.

But Hegseth refused to give a straight answer. Instead, he said the following, which is patently ridiculous given all we know about Trump, including the incident with the 82nd Airborne:

“I reject the premise that President Trump will be giving any illegal orders at all.”

This is one of MANY reasons why Hegseth is not qualified to be secretary of defense in any way, shape, or form.

Here are some other things we’ve learned about Pete Hegseth from credible reporting in numerous news outlets:

• Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual assault and mistreatment of female colleagues.

• He also — just two weeks before Trump nominated him — said that women should not be allowed to serve in combat roles.

• In 2015, Hegseth was heard chanting “Kill all Muslims!” at a hotel in Ohio.

• Hegseth’s chief “qualification,” in Trump’s eyes, seems to be his recent stint as a weekend host on Fox News, where he served as yet another MAGA sycophant.

• Ten different people who worked with Hegseth at Fox have told reporters his drinking was severe enough to be concerning, with two people saying he smelled of alcohol before going on air at least a dozen times.

• One former Fox employee says, “For the sake of national security, I really hope he has stopped drinking.” Another says, simply, “He should not be secretary of defense.”

• People who worked at a veterans organization run by Hegseth say that while attending functions on behalf of the group, Hegseth — on multiple occasions — drank to the point of needing to be carried out of the room.

• At one of those veterans organizations, Hegseth was accused of mismanagement and ultimately forced out of his leadership role after whistleblowers came forward.

The Senate will vote on Hegseth in a matter of days.

Let’s make sure the Senate hears loud and clear that the American people are demanding someone more qualified for secretary of defense than Pete Hegseth.

To the United States Senate:

We call on you to reject Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense.

Click to add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, Co-President of Public Citizen
 
 
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