‘That Is Not Qualified!’ Stephen A. Smith Tells Hannity His Ex-Fox Colleague Shouldn’t Be the Secretary of Defense
Stephen A. Smith loudly questioned the qualifications of former Fox & Friends Weekend host Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense – while on Fox News.
The ESPN host appeared on Tuesday’s edition of Hannity, where he and Sean Hannity spoke about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In the wake of two deadly plane crashes last week – one of which also involved a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter – many prominent conservatives have been quick to suggest that the Federal Aviation Administration has hired too many non-White men. Investigations into the accidents are ongoing, and there is no evidence to suggest that women, minorities, or LGBTQ people are at fault.
During the segment, Hannity pointed to a DEI initiative implemented under the Obama administration.
“Their diversity push includes a focus on hiring people with ‘severe intellectual’ and ‘psychiatric’ disabilities,” Hannity said while omitting the fact that the FAA used the same language during the first Trump administration. “Now Stephen A., you fly a lot. Do you want people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities in that control tower?”
“Not at all,” the guest responded. “My issue with the eradication of DEI was… the explanation that the Trump administration and others were giving about it. I don’t want to hear DEI automatically being about people who happen to be minorities that are unqualified. That is what I was saying, is that it’s one thing to get rid of it altogether. It is another thing entirely to articulate and verbalize the position that, excuse me, you know what? Everybody that was associated with DEI are unqualified individuals.”
Hannity insisted that they were on the page as Smith continued his point by bringing Hegseth into the discussion.
“But when you have somebody like Hegseth, for example,” Smith said. “Let’s use him because he’s your former colleague at Fox News–”
“Keep my friend outta this,” Hannity shot back.
“Excuse me, listen, I’m not bringing up anything personal,” Smith said. “I’m simply saying my God, Sean. When you’re talking about people who are unqualified, I wish him nothing but the best, he served our country in the military, I get all of that. But when you are a weekend host on Fox News and now you are the defense secretary of the United States overseeing three and a half million people, that is not qualified!”
“Did you serve in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Gitmo?” Hannity replied. “Did you go to Harvard or Princeton?”
Smith replied in the negative.
Watch above via Fox News.
