Pete Hegseth is not fit to serve, and he should resign.
If that’s all you need to hear, add your name to my petition today to call for Hegseth’s resignation.
But there’s a whole lot more to say about this.
Look, the writing was on the wall with this guy from the very beginning. He barely scraped through his confirmation process (even Mitch McConnell voted against him, and they had to call in JD Vance to break the 50-50 tie). He has a very concerning history — former coworkers have said that he’d shown up for work drunk, and there are several deeply troubling reports of sexual harassment and assault, including a 2017 incident in which he entered into a private settlement agreement with the accuser.
And since he’s been Secretary of Defense — or to use his preferred name that he feels better reflects his identity, Secretary of War — things have gotten much, much worse.
Hegseth endangered American troops by being reckless with sensitive operational details on the unclassified messaging app Signal. Even the Pentagon’s independent watchdog officially determined that he violated protocol and put U.S. objectives and troops in danger.
That should be the end of it.
Yes, he abused taxpayer funds by asking for his own makeup studio in the Pentagon. Yes, he enacted a cruel and unnecessary transgender military ban — punishing brave servicemembers for being who they are and worsening our readiness. Yes, he lifted up the twisted ideas of his pastor who thinks women shouldn’t vote and homosexuality should be criminalized.
But through all of that, the bottom line is: Pete Hegseth abjectly failed at one of the most basic principles of his job. He put the courageous people who serve our country in danger. And he is unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense.
Add your name if you agree: Pete Hegseth must resign.
