‘What Are You Scared Of?’ Slotkin Presses Hegseth to Answer Question On Potentially Following An Illegal Order

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) questioned President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday about whether or not he would refuse an illegal order.

Slotkin began her questioning at Tuesday’s confirmation hearing by introducing herself as she was just sworn in as a Senator earlier in the month. “For those who I haven’t met in my one week that I’ve been sworn into the Senate, I’m a CIA officer recruited after 9/11. I did three tours armed in Iraq alongside the military and have worked for four different secretaries of defense, both Democrat and Republican, proudly, and watched them make decisions that literally determine the life and death of Americans in the dark of night,” Slotkin began, adding:

I’m also a Democrat representing a state that Trump won. We both won on the same ballot. So I understand that President Trump has the the right to nominate his people. We are going to have policies that we disagree with. All of that to me comes very standard. What I think I’m most concerned with is that no president has the right to use the uniform military in a way that violates the US Constitution and further taints the military as that apolitical institution that we all want. Right?

And our founders designed the system so that, you know, we had posse comitatus that we weren’t going to use active-duty military inside the United States and make American citizens potentially scared of their own military. We went through our own experience with that with the British. As the secretary of defense, you will be the one man standing in the breach. Should President Trump give an illegal order? Right. I’m not saying he will, but if he does, you are going to be the guy that he calls to implement this order.

“Do you agree that there are some orders that can be given by the commander-in-chief that would violate the U.S. Constitution?” Slotkin asked Hegseth.

“Senator, thank you for your service. But I reject the premise that President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders,” Hegseth replied.

“No, I’m not saying he will. But do you believe there is such a thing as an illegal order? That Joe Biden or any other president, Donald Trump, could give, is there anything that a commander in chief could ask you to do with the uniformed military that would be in violation of the U.S. Constitution?” Slotkin clarified.

“Certainly, anybody of any party could give an order that is against the Constitution or against the law,” Hegseth replied.

“Right. Okay. So, and are you? So are you saying that you would stand in the breach and push back if you were given an illegal order?” she added.

“I start by saying I reject the premise,” Hegseth repeated as Slotkin interjected, “I understand, you’ve done your genuflecting to him…”

After some cross-talk, she added, “This isn’t a hypothetical. Okay. Your predecessor in a Trump administration, Secretary Esper, was asked and did use uniformed military to clear unarmed protesters. He was given the order to potentially shoot at them. Helos flew low in Washington, DC as crowd control. He later apologized publicly for those actions. Was he right or wrong to apologize?”

Hegseth and Slotkin then spoke over each other as Hegseth said he was in DC at the time and understood the need for the use of force.

“Was he right or wrong to apologize?” Slotkin asked again.

“I’m not going to put words in the mouth of Secretary Esper,” Hegseth replied.

“No, but he said that himself, you don’t have to. What are you scared of? Did he do the right thing by apologizing?” Slotkin pressed.

“I’m not scared of anything, Senator,” shot back Hegseth.

“Then say yes or no. You can say no,” Slotkin insisted.

“I am interested in upholding the laws and the Constitution in any particular scenario,” Hegseth added.

“Donald Trump asked for the active duty 82nd Airborne to be deployed during that same time. Secretary Esper has written that he convinced him against that decision. If Donald Trump asked you to use the 82nd Airborne in law enforcement roles in Washington, DC, would you also convince him otherwise?” Slotkin followed up.

“I’m not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the president. However, there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed,” Hegseth replied.

“President Trump said in November that he is willing to consider using the active duty military against the, quote, enemy within. Have you been personally involved in discussions of using the U.S. military active duty inside the United States?” Slotkin asked.

“Senator, I’m glad we finally got to the topic of border security equaling national security because it’s been abdicated and ignored for the last four years,” Hegseth replied, trying to pivot to immigration.

“It wasn’t my question. I’m just asking, have you been involved? You’re about to be the secretary of defense, potentially. Have you been involved in discussions about using the active duty military inside the United States?” she pressed again.

Hegseth dodged answering the question and the two continued to tussle over the topic.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

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