‘Russia Must Be Stopped!’ Bipartisan Lawmakers Clash With Pentagon Head Over Ukraine
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday strongly defended the Trump administration’s policy towards Ukraine and Russia, while also denying reports that the Pentagon had paused cyber operations against Moscow.
“We did not!” the Pentagon head told lawmakers in the final day of his multi-day spree of testimony on Capitol Hill, when pressed by the House Armed Committee members about recent reports that the US Cyber Command last month briefly stopped its offensive operations aimed at Russia as a negotiating tactic.
While Democrat lawmakers refused to take the former Fox News anchor at his word, their Republican colleagues didn’t appear to be awfully pleased by Hegseth’s performance either – particularly when he attempted to dodge questions on Ukraine, Russia, NATO’s defense, and other key topics.
“Russia must be stopped!” Republican Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL), who chaired the panel, said. “Make no mistake, a Russian victory in Ukraine would also be a victory for China, North Korea, and Iran. We cannot let that happen,” he added.
Rogers emphasized that threats to US national security “have never been more urgent or complex.”
“Adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran continue to expand their military power. And they’re no longer acting alone,” he said, adding, “these countries are strategically building alliances and supporting each other with drones, munitions, satellite technology, and energy supplies – we’re seeing that acutely in Ukraine.”
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC), another leading Republican, questioned Hegseth about Russian president Putin’s – as he put it, “rebuffing Trump’s outreach to end war”.
“Every time President Trump tries to reduce the conflict, war criminal Putin increases mass murder of drones and missile attacks on the people and civilians of Ukraine – including hospitals this week,” Wilson argued.
When Hegseth tried to dismiss the fact that Putin had been ignoring Trump, citing a familiar White House line that the Kremlin leader had not reinvaded Ukraine during Trump’s first presidency, Wilson pushed back as saying that if the Russian dictator “had really appreciated what President Trump was trying to do, he wouldn’t have invaded – whether Biden was president or not.”
Other lawmakers also repeatedly lashed Hegseth for stopping short of voicing support for Ukraine in the face of Russian attacks.
The Pentagon head then was quickly hit with queries from panel Democrats, starting with ranking member Adam Smith (D-WA) pressing him on Greenland and Panama.
Hegseth would not rule out the possibility of a future military invasion of the Arctic territory and Central American country, suggesting that the Pentagon could have such plans.
The answer caused Smith to scoff, replying: “I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland.”
Hegseth was later pressed by Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who implored him to confirm that “it is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?”
Hegseth would only repeat that the Pentagon “has plans for any number of contingencies.”
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) lambasted the Pentagon chief as an “embarrassment,” demanding he resign over a range of issues, including his views on Russia’s war in Ukraine. “I have called for your resignation. I didn’t think you were qualified before your confirmation, and you have done nothing to inspire confidence in your ability to lead competently,” Carbajal said.
Source: Alex Raufoglu