Senate Republicans Leave Hegseth Hanging On a Limb as War Crimes Debate Rages

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not receive a full vote of confidence on Monday from several Republican Senators who were asked if they still support Trump’s Pentagon chief amid allegations he ordered a second deadly strike on survivors of an alleged drug-running boat.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) was asked by a reporter if he still had confidence in Hegseth’s leadership, and he answered, “The question will be based on the facts as we find them out, we’re going to have some discussions within the committee. Until such times we know the full facts, we won’t be making comment.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also refused to answer when asked the same question, saying, “I don’t have, at this point, I guess, an evaluation of the secretary. Others can make those evaluations.”

Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio reported that “Thune adds that what matters is whether the country is safer & ‘under President Trump’s leadership, that’s the case.’”

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) told reporters on Monday that he spoke with Hegseth and told him, “I think it’s best we get our classified briefings so that we’ll have the ground truth and also the documents and video.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the leading critic in the GOP of the Trump administration’s attacks on alleged drug boats, added, “Yesterday they said, ‘absolutely Pete says he didn’t do it.’ and then today, they admit that he did it. You think there would be ramifications. Was he incompetent enough not to know that it happened? Or was he lying yesterday?”

Paul was referring to the Pentagon’s denial of a report in the Washington Post that Hegseth had ordered to kill everyone on the boat. The White House confirmed on Monday that there was indeed a second strike on the boat, which was given by  Adm. Frank M. Bradley under the authorization of Hegseth.