CNN Anchor Asks Ex-Trump Defense Chief ‘How Likely’ Trump Will Make ‘Unlawful Order’ To Pete Hegseth

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked ex-Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper, “How likely is it” that President-elect Donald Trump would give an unlawful order to Pete Hegseth?

Hegseth’s nomination was endangered by bombshells like a rape allegation and a revelation of a 2018 email from Penelope Hegseth to her son in which she called him “an abuser of women,” a devastating whistleblower report, his own past statements, and concerns about his lack of experience in a similar role.

But the path has cleared and despite intense grilling by Democrats at the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing Tuesday, Hegseth now seems poised to be confirmed.

At that hearing, several Democrats pressed Hegseth about orders that Trump has given or has indicated he might give that could be interpreted as unlawful, and Hegseth did not engage those “hypotheticals.”

On Wednesday’s edition of CNN This Morning, Hunt asked Esper “how likely” such scenarios could be in Trump’s second term:

HUNT: Are you confident that Pete Hegseth, as secretary of defense, would stand up to an unlawful order if the incoming President Trump were to issue one?

ESPER: Well, look, I – the senators yesterday, the Democrats in particular, raised some important questions, some tough questions. And that’s what they were trying to find out is, you know, where does – or how far does his loyalty lie? Clearly, he has the – the confidence of President Trump. And it looks like coming out of this hearing, particularly with the announcement by Joni Ernst yesterday that he’ll get an affirmative vote from the committee and go to the floor sometime next week I assume.

HUNT: How likely is it, do you think, that Pete Hegseth would face, as secretary of defense, an order that you would view as against the law?

ESPER: Well, it’s unknown. I mean another Democrat raised this issue yesterday as, you know, the – what would happen or would – would president or any president ask somebody to conduct a – something illegal? And I think, look, it’s the duty of his cabinet, his advisors to – to inform the president if a duty – if an order is considered illegal. That was the role I played, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others. And I think that’s – that’s the expectation.

And then the question is whether it would be carried out or not. And look, this is going to be raised in the context of the deportation question, which was raised yesterday as well, as to what extent will the U.S. military be used in deportation measures? And there are clear lines. I mean as was stated, there are ways in which DOD has – has aided and insisted in the past more in an administrative and a logistical role. But the posse comitatus law, which has been in effect since the 19th century, prohibits the use of the active-duty military in a law enforcement role.

So, there’s – there’s so many nuances to this, but that is one of the questions that was raised yesterday.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.