The defense secretary Pete Hegseth finds himself again under fire – this time political skeptics or enemies through the political spectrum. But just as the case took place during the recent presidential transition period, when Trump's opponents raised the Disredit 2018 game book Brett Mr. Kavanaugh / Christine Basey Ford to try to derail Hegseth appointmentThe challenges are now much higher than HegSeth's employment security that runs the Pentagon.
When ready for the appointment, the Democrats and many in the media went with the aim of destroying Hegseth. Like the anti-Kavanaugh campaign in September 2018, when the candidate of the Supreme Court then pending was Accused of everything, from sexual assault to gang rape (and denied the assertions), the recent anti-Hegseth operation accused the double veteran decorated in bronze bronze of recurring alcoholismhaving a Bill Clinton ruinous libido and, yes, sexual assault (He also denied complaints). But the concerted effort to pour the appointment of Hegseth was Not really on Hegseth. It was an attempt at the waters, to demonstrate the Trumpian vulnerability and to sabotage the inbound administration before it even took office. Fortunately, the Cynical effort failed. And military recruitment, perhaps the most important priority of day 1 of Hegseth, has Already considerably benefiting.
Quick advance a little. Hegseth was one of the main officials of the Trump administration taken in the reticle last month “Signalgate” group chat controversyWho has seen sensitive military information on the attacks of the United States on Houthi terrorists based in Yemen delivered inexplicably to the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg. The content of the Disclosed cat revealed a Trump administration which is divided internally on questions of foreign policy – in particular with regard to Iran and its regional attorney, such as the Houthis. Iranian doves and anti -Israeli provocateurs have set out the possibility of trying to excite a practical “fellow” scalp – whether it is Hegseth or the National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. But Hegseth and Waltz have kept their jobs.
From Signalgate, there have been two additional developments linked to Hegseth. Last Sunday, The New York Times reported That Hegseth had shared sensitive information on the Houthi attack plans in a second group cat which included his wife and brother, among others. Hegseth admitted the existence of this second cat but said that no bad ones had been done. RoughlyThree senior officials of the Ministry of Defense – Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, longtime friend of Hegseth and Confident Dan Caldwell and Chief of Staff of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Colin Carroll – were first placed, then dismissed, in the midst of an ongoing Pentagon leak investigation.
Caldwell's cashier is notable because of his relationship with Hegseth. The dismissal suggests that Hegseth is determined not to leave any stone not returned and is willing to go to the earth burned on the allies only if necessary, to resume operational control of its stamped pentagon. But the reaction to the layoffs and the immediate conduct of Caldwell thereafter are very revealing. What the follow -up of the dismissals of the Pentagon reveal, in short, is the same thing that the cat reported last month revealed: a deeply divided Trump administration on foreign policy issues, in particular concerning Iran.
Caldwell, who worked for various insulation outfits, is a dove in Iran. In the first days of Biden administration, Caldwell even went to Rent Robert Malley – Biden's execrable choice for the special envoy to Iran, and previously the US negotiator of the Iranian nuclear agreement of President Obama. Shortly after being dismissed from the Pentagon, Caldwell quickly made the popular spectacle of the most famous Colombe Iran in the country, Tucker Carlson – a man who qualified Iranian hawks as “enemies” of the United States – to tell its side of the story. Caldwell's account was pure victimity: he argued that his mandate of the Pentagon threatened “established interests”, And he rejected the charges of leaks. Since his old Hegseth ally has dismissed him and is now recommending that it be prosecutedCaldwell's story does not pass the laughter.
But the whole saga is enlightening.
We must ask yourself why many supposed allies of President Trump would decide to capitalize on the reports of the New York Times and try to throw Hegseth under the bus at a vulnerable moment. Wouldn't the “allies” had to follow the example of vice-president JD Vance and Trump himself and defended HegSeth in the handle? Curt Mills of The American Conservative Magazine said the calm part aloud: “The reality is operational – Hegseth is simply not up to par.”
In other words, the HEGSETH smear campaign continues, but now it takes a different shade: the target this time is all Iran.
The backdrop of all this high drama, adding another turn to this elaborate puzzle, is the Iranian nuclear negotiations during the administration, led by the special envoy of the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. These negotiations will resume this weekend in Oman. Witkoff is a billionaire real estate investor without any particular knowledge of the Middle East. In 2023 Witkoff sold his Park Lane hotel in New York at Qatar Investment Authority for $ 623 million, and perhaps not by coincidence, in January 2025, he went on television to rent Qatar for “Make the work of God. “In Carlson's interview, Calldwell described Witkoff as a” bargain “, and Carlson praised him as a” peace instrument “. Carlson, in particular, recently welcomed the Prime Minister of Qatar And congratulated him for trying to stop military action against the ally and the trading partner of Qatar, Iran.
We are starting to see what is really going on here.
The good news is that Trump himself is clear on Iran's matters. It also seems that his defense secretary. It should therefore be concluded that Hegseth's detractors express the frustration that the president is not as curious about Iran. This would explain why some “allies” of certain alleged administrations are still trying to destroy Pete Hegseth.
Josh Hammer's latest book is “Israel and civilization: the fate of the Jewish nation and the destiny of the West. “” This article was produced in collaboration with the union creators. @josh_hammer
