Home Donald Trump DNC War Room on Trump’s Picks of “Ultra-MAGA Loyalist” Matt Gaetz, “Misinformation...

DNC War Room on Trump’s Picks of “Ultra-MAGA Loyalist” Matt Gaetz, “Misinformation Patient Zero” RFK Jr., “Fox & Friends Weekend Co-Host” Pete Hegseth, “Pocket of Big Oil” Doug Burgum

These extremist picks "will always put defending Trump ahead of defending America"

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Blue Virginia
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From the DNC War Room:

Trump’s MAGA Interior Secretary Pick Doug Burgum is in the Pocket of Big Oil
In response to Donald Trump announcing Doug Burgum as his Secretary of the Interior pick, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump picked Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior because he’s a MAGA loyalist who has repeatedly sided with Trump’s billionaire special interest backers over hardworking Americans. Burgum was clear on the campaign trail – he and Trump will look out for billionaires, big oil, and big gas first even if it means canning American jobs and undermining American industry. Just like Trump, Burgum is focused on lining the pockets of the ultra-wealthy like himself — not serving the American people.”

NEW: Donald Trump announced he’s picking Doug Burgum — a MAGA extremist in the pocket of Big Oil — to be Secretary of the Interior.

New York Times: “Trump Picks Burgum for Interior Secretary”

“The North Dakota governor helped strengthen ties between the oil industry and President-elect Donald J. Trump

“President-elect Donald J. Trump has tapped Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota to lead the Interior Department, leading the new administration’s plans to open federal lands and waters to oil and gas drilling.

“Governor Burgum, 68, has longstanding ties to fossil fuel companies and acted as a liaison between the Trump campaign and the oil executives who have donated heavily to it. The governor is particularly close to Harold G. Hamm, the billionaire founder and chairman of Continental Resources, one of the country’s largest independent oil companies, who has hosted fund-raisers and donated nearly $5 million to Mr. Trump since 2023.”

Burgum has long been a cheerleader for Trump’s failed MAGAnomics agenda of rigging the economy for ultra-wealthy people like him and big corporations at the expense of working families. 

Burgum: “Our state has built a strong and growing economy on reducing individual and corporate income tax rates, common-sense regulations and a business-friendly environment, and this federal tax reform legislation – combined with the Trump administration’s tremendous progress in rolling back burdensome regulations – will spread those principles nationwide.”

Burgum: “His policies are all in the right direction. If you’re a billionaire… you should be voting for [Trump].”

CNBC: “Trump VP prospect Doug Burgum and GOP megadonor Harold Hamm are allies in business and politics”

Doug Burgum: “I believe in these economic policies, I believe the tax bill is a great thing.”

Washington Post: “Trump makes sweeping promises to donors on audacious fundraising tour”

“As he closed his pitch at the Pierre Hotel, Trump explained to the group why it was in their interest to cut large checks. If he was not put back in office, taxes would go up for them under President Biden, who vows to let Trump-era tax cuts on the wealthy and corporations expire at the end of 2025.

“Seconds after promising the tax cuts, Trump made his pitch explicit. ‘So whatever you guys can do, I appreciate it,’ he said.”

The Guardian: “Donald Trump’s $1.5tn tax cuts have helped billionaires pay a lower rate than the working class for the first time in history.”

Bismarck Tribune: “Gov. Doug Burgum accepted more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from oil company executives last fall, despite comments he made as a candidate that accepting donations from the oil industry would be a conflict of interest.”

Associated Press: “Big Oil is big funder of Burgum inaugural”

Burgum supports repealing the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, historic legislation that is lowering health care costs, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and expanding access to cleaner, cheaper energy.

HealthInsurance.org: “In late 2017, Burgum and 19 other Republican governors wrote a letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to repeal the ACA.”

Burgum on whether he would push to repeal the IRA: “Yeah.”

Burgum signed a near-total abortion ban in North Dakota with no exceptions for rape or incest after six weeks — something he was able to do because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade.

CBS News: “Burgum signed into law one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, an abortion ban that allows limited exceptions up to six weeks’ gestation, and only for medical emergencies at any other point in the pregnancy.”

Welker: “You said ‘America was an unsafe place for women before Roe v. Wade.’ So by your own standard, Governor, is America unsafe for women as a result of Roe being overturned?”

Burgum: “No, it’s not. … I’ve evolved in that position.”

The Hill: “As governor of North Dakota, Burgum signed one of the strictest abortion bills in the nation last year, banning abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy.”

Burgum: “Today’s landmark Supreme Court decision returns power to the states where it belongs…Our administration has consistently supported pro-life legislation and this decision is a victory for the many North Dakotans who have fought so hard and for so long to protect the unborn in our state.”

New York Times: “North Dakota became the latest state on Monday to enact a near-total ban on abortion, just one month after the State Supreme Court temporarily blocked a similar ban from taking effect. Under the new law, an abortion in the case of rape or incest would be permissible only in the first six weeks of pregnancy, a time when most women have not yet realized they are pregnant.”

Burgum has consistently pushed Trump’s baseless 2020 election denialism and lies that threaten our democracy.

Kirsten Welker, NBC: “Can you commit here and now today to accepting the election results?”

Burgum: “These hypothetical questions that keep coming up… I’m not going to comment on an election before it happens.”

Welker: “You won’t commit to accepting the election results?”

Burgum: “I will commit if they’re free and fair.”

Welker: “Should [Trump] unequivocally accept the election results?”

Burgum: “I heard him on Thursday night say he would accept the results of the election if it was free and fair and secure. … We had a smooth transition [after the 2020 election].”

Welker: “January 6 was not exactly a smooth transition.”

Burgum: “We have to say that there was a smooth transition.”

Welker: “Trump made more than 30 false claims during that debate. … Do you think he should stop saying things that are not true?”

Burgum: “Everything Trump said on Thursday he has said before, so this is not news.”

Savannah Guthrie, NBC: “One of the last things [voters] remember, of course, is January 6, the president losing the election, but claiming he didn’t, people rioting at the Capitol, here he was again tonight asked point blank, ‘If you lose the election, will you concede?’ And he just doesn’t answer the question directly. He’s always hedging it with if it’s free and fair. And of course, the implication is it’s not free and fair, if he’s not the winner, why don’t you just come right out and say, of course, I’ll accept the results of this election?”

Burgum: “Well, I think you heard him say that at the end, it would be easier for him if everybody thought we had secure elections. But we know in our country, being a democracy, this is a challenge.”

Guthrie: “That’s just a red herring, because I mean, he got to litigate it. He had the advantages of our democracy, and our courts and every other institution, which found that it was a free and fair election, and yet, he’s still on about that. And he won’t say that he’ll accept the results of this election. I just don’t get that.”

[…]

Burgum: “When you’ve got unmonitored documents that don’t have any control over the path of that document, you don’t know where it came from, you don’t know where it’s been, that would never pass any kind of audit from, you know, a quarterly audit from a public company. So I think we all want the same thing in America whether it’s the 2000 election, which was challenged to do down in one county in Florida, the ‘16 election, which people claimed there’s Russian interference, the 2020 election, I mean, three of our last five elections, either the different parties had been saying there was concerns.”
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Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS
In response to Donald Trump picking conspiracy theorist and misinformation propagandist RFK Jr. to lead HHS, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“Donald Trump is threatening the health and safety of every American to reward a notorious liar who has pushed 9/11 conspiracy theories, backed a national abortion ban, spread disinformation that led to a deadly measles outbreak, and left an appalling record of personal behavior — including sexual assault allegations — in his wake. Americans should not have to put their health in the hands of a man who has had a worm eat part of his brain, and Democrats are ready to fight every day against RFK Jr. and Trump’s dangerous agenda.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a dangerous anti-vaxxer who thinks no vaccine is safe and effective, and opposes requirements for polio and MMR vaccines.

Mother Jones: “In July 2023, at the invitation of House Republicans, he appeared at a congressional hearing and declared, ‘I have never been anti-vax. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.’ Yet that same month, during a podcast interview, he asserted, ‘There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.’”

Washington Post: “He has an unenviable history of anti-vaccine advocacy, including peddling debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and leading an anti-vaccine group. He claims he is not opposed to vaccines, though that’s hard to square with his recent comments that ‘there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective’ and ‘I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby, and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.’”

Los Angeles Times: “Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization Kennedy founded and chairs, last week platformed a fatuously inaccurate 2013 book claiming that polio isn’t caused by a virus and that the polio vaccine ‘doesn’t work.’ The book was conclusively debunked long ago. But last Tuesday, the organization published an interview with its co-author Suzanne Humphries, in which she repeated her claim that polio is caused by toxins, not the virus.”

FactCheck.org: “At the time, Fridman pushed Kennedy on the issue, noting that those were ‘big words’ — and asked about the polio vaccine. Kennedy then misleadingly suggested that the polio vaccines given to his generation caused cancer — despite a lack of evidence that this is true.”

NPR: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion with the famous last name who’s running as an independent for president, is also infamous for his stances against vaccines. Vaccines are safe and effective and have been credited with stopping the spread of diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, polio and global pandemics. Despite the solid evidence, people like RFK Jr. — with no expertise and who refuse to listen to experts — have spread disinformation about them, playing on false conspiracy theories.”

NBC: “Asked if he would recommend that parents give their children the MMR vaccine amid an uptick in measles in the U.S., Kennedy declined to answer. ‘I’m not gonna—,’ he said, and walked away.”

Kennedy contributed to one of the deadliest measles outbreaks in recent history in Samoa.

Philadelphia Inquirer: “In 2019, Kennedy flew to Samoa, met with government officials and, along with other like-minded advocates, ‘flooded the area with misinformation’ about vaccines, according to FactCheck.org. Vaccinations were temporarily halted, 5,600 people contracted measles, and 83 children died. FactCheck.org concluded: ‘Kennedy … played a part in one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent memory.’”

Los Angeles Times Editorial Board: “But the fearmongering on social media landed a hook in Samoan parents, who now had an example of real risk to their children that seemed to outweigh the abstract threat of a disease that had virtually been eradicated from the developed world over the last generation. […] This is a stark and sad illustration of what can happen when the agents of fear and misinformation (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., we are looking at you) convince caring parents to shun childhood vaccinations.”

Just like Trump, Kennedy supports a national abortion ban, which would rip away women’s reproductive freedoms and deny critical health care.

Politico: “Speaking to NBC from the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy said, ‘I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,’ but added: ‘Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child.’ He said he would sign a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks or 21 weeks of pregnancy if he were elected president.”

NBC: “A leading conservative anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony List, praised Kennedy’s position in a statement, calling it ‘a stark contrast to the Democratic Party’s radical stance of abortion on demand. … Kennedy is one of the few prominent Democrats aligned with the consensus of the people today. Every candidate should be asked, ‘Where do you draw the line?’”

Rolling Stone: “Trump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report”

Kennedy’s conspiracy theories include denying the September 11 terrorist attacks.

NBC: “Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on social media Friday that it’s ‘hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t’ when it comes to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.”

Rolling Stone: “In a new interview on the podcast In the Room With Peter Bergen, produced by Fresh Produce Media for Audible, Kennedy told Bergen he didn’t know whether or not he believes the official government explanation about 9/11, including whether al-Qaeda was responsible for the attack, asserting ‘strange things happened.’”

Austin American Statesman: “The post was an apparent reference to Kennedy saying on a podcast last year that he had doubts about the official account of the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, including whether al-Qaida bore responsibility. In the podcast, Kennedy said he was not a 9/11 expert, nor perhaps the best person to comment on the attacks. But, he added, ‘I don’t always accept official explanations.’”

Kennedy has refused to disclose basic medical information, including the fact that he once had a parasitic brain worm.

New York Times: “About the same time he learned of the parasite, he said, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing the dangerous heavy metal, which can cause serious neurological issues […] Mr. Kennedy said he was then subsisting on a diet heavy on predatory fish, notably tuna and perch, both known to have elevated mercury levels. In the interview with The Times, he said that he had experienced ‘severe brain fog’ and had trouble retrieving words. Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has railed against the dangers of mercury contamination in fish from coal-fired power plants, had his blood tested […] He also underwent chelation therapy, a treatment that binds to metals in the body so they can be expelled.”

Fox News: “Kennedy Cover-Up: Failing To Disclose A Brain-Eating Worm And Other Problems.”

Kennedy has not denied allegations of sexual assault, instead saying that he’s “not a church boy.”

Rolling Stone: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to an accusation that he sexually assaulted a family babysitter at his home by brushing off the incident, asserting that he is not a ‘church boy’ and had a ‘very rambunctious youth.’”

Boston Globe: “A devastating and detailed report by Vanity Fair last week — including a credible allegation of sexual assault against Kennedy — provided a fresh setback to the already ailing campaign. Asked if other women might come forward with similar allegations he said, ‘I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.’”
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What They Are Saying: Republicans “Disgusted” by Trump’s Ultra-MAGA “Gut Punch” With Gaetz Pick
Yesterday, Donald Trump tapped ultra-MAGA loyalist Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general as part of his effort to put himself above the rule of law and execute his agenda of revenge and retribution. Republican lawmakers are already making clear how “disgusted” they are by Trump’s pick — after all, Gaetz’s closest connections to the Justice Department are being the subject of a federal criminal investigation and pushing to defund federal law enforcement.

Here’s what Republicans, commentators, and observers on both sides of the aisle are saying about Trump’s already disastrous nomination of Gaetz:

On the Airwaves

On MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH): “I just think it’s silly. I believe that the President is probably rewarding him for being such a loyal soldier to the President. […] Mr. Gaetz breaks things to break things. Then once he breaks it, he breaks it even more, and that is somebody who should not be the Attorney General of the United States. I can tell you, I’m not the only one out of 200 and probably 22 that we’ll end up with that is happy he is leaving this conference.”

On CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND): “About Matt, what concerned me a little bit is, was I didn’t like the way he handled the squabble with Speaker McCarthy, I think that was, I thought it was unnecessary, I thought it was divisive, I think that the conference suffered, the Republican conference suffered from it.” 

On CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK): “Matt Gaetz and I, there’s no question we’ve had our differences. They’ve been very public about it… he’s got to come to Congress and sell himself, or to the Senate and sell himself. There’s a lot of questions that are going to be out there. He has to answer those questions.” 

On NewsNation’s The Hill, Former National Security Adviser John Bolton (R): “I don’t think either [Tulsi Gabbard] or Matt Gaetz ought to have a confirmation hearing until they have both had full field FBI investigations…then I think the Chinese would say, ‘Maybe they are serious’…I think Republican senators should reject both of them.”

On CNN’s This Morning, Scott Jennings (R): “[Matt Gaetz is] the one who I believe actually starts below the bar of confirmation. I mean, we could probably all count at least four senators, maybe five who are highly likely to never go along with this.”

On MSNBC’s Deadline, Ali Vitali: “House Republican lawmakers had every range of reactions from gasping to audibly saying ‘oh my god.’ Some of them thought that maybe they misread something or it wasn’t real. But certainly we know now this is President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice. Putting aside the concerns about if this is good for a House Republican majority that is barely large enough to function, there is, I think, a pretty sizable amount of ire and, frankly, hatred of Matt Gaetz from some of his colleagues here on Capitol Hill.”

In Print

The New York Times: Senate Republicans Alarmed by Gaetz Pick as Attorney General Nominee

Senate Republicans reacted with alarm and dismay to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s decision to nominate Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, for attorney general, and several said they were skeptical that he would be able to secure enough votes for confirmation.

[…]

“I was shocked by the announcement — that shows why the advice and consent process is so important,” said Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, who has sometimes clashed with Mr. Trump. “I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.”

“‘I don’t think he’s a serious candidate,’ Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who also has broken with Mr. Trump frequently, said of Mr. Gaetz.

Even some of Mr. Trump’s stalwart supporters declined to offer support.

Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, refused to speak specifically about Mr. Gaetz’s candidacy, repeating that he was looking forward to all of Mr. Trump’s nominees receiving confirmation hearings and getting the president-elect’s cabinet in place.

Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa and a former chair of the Judiciary Committee, stood expressionless as reporters asked him if he had any concerns about Gaetz, refusing to answer.

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Sends Shock Waves Through Washington With Gaetz Pick

“Do you think he’s a serious candidate?” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) said as she walked into the Senate chamber to vote. “Not as far as I’m concerned.”

“He’s getting people early and people he knows, as opposed to…last term,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), adding of Trump’s cabinet picks during his first administration: “He didn’t know most of the people and he’s learned a lot since the last campaign.”

Axios: Republicans “stunned and disgusted” as Trump taps Matt Gaetz for AG

One House Republican in the meeting described the conference’s response as “stunned and disgusted.”

“My reaction … was surprised,” Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters shortly after the announcement.

“His name was not someone that I had heard and, to my knowledge, any other members of our conference had heard,” Guest added.

Semafor: Republicans stunned as Trump taps Gaetz for attorney general

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said Gaetz’s plot to oust McCarthy “is concerning to me” and noted that “FBI and background checks are pretty intense for an attorney general.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that “I’m all about counting votes, and I would think he’s probably got his work cut out for him.”

[…]

“Rep. Matt Gaetz is under ethics investigations by the House Ethics Committee. He would be a compromised AG,” said Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif. “There are better choices.”

POLITICO: Even Republicans are stunned by Trump’s Gaetz Cabinet pick: ‘Absolute gut punch’

One senior Republican Hill official said the Gaetz decision was an “absolute gut punch.”

[…]

It’s left much of Washington — and even some of Trump’s own allies — perplexed, and less certain than ever that the second Trump administration will be more professionalized than his first, as some had hoped after the highly disciplined campaign Wiles and co-campaign chair Chris LaCivita ran.

[…]

“We went from some solid picks, to some interesting wildcards, to some that are more than controversial, no way confirmable,” said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and appointee under Trump’s first administration. “This is Trump daring the U.S. Senate. This is Trump potentially usurping the U.S. Senate and going to try to put people in place through recess appointments, which could mean we’re at a Constitutional crisis from the start of Trump’s second term.”

POLITICO: DOJ lawyers cannot compute that Matt Gaetz could be their new boss

“There’s no conceivable justification for nominating somebody this smarmy and this offensive for a position of such significance in this democracy other than to have a puppet and somebody who, as Gaetz has demonstrated, will do anything Trump asks,” said Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer.

[…]

One former Trump DOJ official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, called the Gaetz nomination “fucking appalling.”

“The attorney general should not be a provocateur,” the former official added. “The problem with a person like that is he derives too much enjoyment from chaos and burning the place down, and those just would be the last traits you’d want in someone in charge of federal law enforcement.”

Fox: Matt Gaetz faces GOP Senate opposition after Trump selection for attorney general

“He will never get confirmed,” a Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. 

One Senate Republican source simply said, “Ain’t gonna happen,” about the prospect of Gaetz’s confirmation. 

[…]

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters, “I think we have to consider any nominee by the president seriously, but we also have a constitutional responsibility.” 

On Social

Burgess Everett, Semafor — @burgessev: “Sen. Cramer said Gaetz’s plot to oust McCarthy ‘is concerning to me’ and noted that ‘FBI and background checks are pretty intense for an attorney general.’ Gaetz is under ethics investigation and was previously under investigation at DoJ”

Melanie Zanona, Punchbowl News — @MZanona: “A House Republican tells me & @FarnoushAmirithat two Republican senators have already texted him to say they will not vote to confirm Matt Gaetz for AG.”

Manu Raju, CNN — @mkraju: “Lindsey Graham and other top senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee non-committal on Matt Gaetz as AG”

Haley Talbot, CNN — @haleytalbotcnn: “GOP REP Max Miller says Matt Gaetz ‘ran around here last term like a six year old with a loaded revolver and a happy trigger finger.’

“Says Gaetz ‘wrecked this country for two years’ 

“‘Tens of thousands of people died because of Matt Gaetz’ citing delaying aid etc”

Melanie Zanona, Punchbowl News — @MZanona: “Early reaction from GOP members on Trump selecting Matt Gaetz for AG.

“Rep. Don Bacon: ‘I’ve got no good comment.’”

Meredith Lee Hill, Politico — @meredithllee: “I’m looking at a House Republican who is laughing so hard in a group of members that he’s wiping away tears”

Al Weaver, The Hill — @alweaver22: “Even some of Trump’s more ardent backers are blown away by the Gaetz AG nomination.

“‘Holy cow,’ Tuberville said looking truly bewildered. 

“He was quick to note he very much did not see this coming.”

Samantha Handler, Punchbowl News — @sn_handler: “Audible snort from Cornyn just now when asked about Trump nominating Matt Gaetz to AG”

Emily Brooks, The Hill — @emilybrooksnews: “Source in room where House Republicans are waiting to start leadership elections tells me there were AUDIBLE GASP when Rep. MATT GAETZ was announced as President-elect Trump’s pick for Attorney General.”

Jeffrey Blehar, National Review — @EsotericCD: “Matt Gaetz cannot be Attorney General – and he almost certainly will not.”
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Trump Taps Fox Host Pete Hegseth for DoD, Defender of VA Privatization, Predatory For-Profit Colleges, January 6 – and Trump
In response to Donald Trump tapping “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“Donald Trump should focus more on our military and less on Fox News. Pete Hegseth isn’t just unfit – he’s dangerous: hailing the January 6 insurrectionists as people who ‘love freedom,’ opposing women serving in combat roles, and even expressing support for war crimes. Trump’s pick to lead our Department of Defense wants to scam our veterans out of their benefits, privatize their health care, and allow predatory for-profit colleges to prey on them without consequence. It’s obvious why Trump picked him after promising to turn the military against American citizens: Hegseth will always put defending Trump ahead of defending America.”

Donald Trump just announced that he’s picking “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Pete Hegseth to be the United States Secretary of Defense. Hegseth has criticized veterans for applying for earned benefits, advocated for privatizing VA health care, defended those accused of war crimes, helped the for-profit college industry exploit veterans, and said “we should not have women in combat roles.”

USA Today: “Trump taps conservative media pundit Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary”

Aaron Rupar: “Pete Hegseth 5 days ago: ‘I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.’”

Media Matters: “Fox’s Pete Hegseth, Brian Kilmeade criticize American veterans who apply for every government benefit they qualify for”

Rolling Stone: “Fox News Host Is All-in on Trump’s War Crimes Threats”

Media Matters: “Fox’s Pete Hegseth has been repeatedly advocating for looser accountability for war crimes as Trump prepares to pardon convicted war criminals”

New York Times: “Having been successful in the Gallagher case, Mr. Hegseth has now taken up the cause of winning pardons for the Blackwater security contractors who were found guilty in the 2007 shooting of dozens of unarmed Iraqis in Baghdad.”

Associated Press: “In 2019, Hegseth urged Trump to pardon U.S. service members who had been accused of war crimes. He advocated for the servicemen’s cases on his show and online, interviewing relatives on Fox News. He posted on social media that pardons from Trump ‘would be amazing,’ and added hashtags with the names of those accused.”

Daily Beast: “Fox News Host: Conservatives Feel Putin’s Invasion ‘Pales in Comparison’ to ‘Wokeness’ in America” 

ProPublica: “For-Profit Colleges Tap a Fox News Host to Influence Trump” 

HuffPost: “The television personality has been a vocal Trump supporter and defended the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying that the crowd seeking to overturn the 2020 election results just ‘loved freedom.’”

Daily Beast: “Tucker Carlson and Pete Hegseth Try to Bring ‘Kung Flu’ Back”

Air & Space Forces Magazine: “Hegseth worked for a number of conservative groups, including Vets for Freedom and the conservative-backed Concerned Veterans for America, which pushed for privatization of many Department of Veterans Affairs functions.”

REMINDER: Trump has repeatedly disparaged our military: He’s called veterans “suckers” and “losers,” and attacked military leaders as “dopes and babies.”

The Atlantic: “Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead.

“Trump said, ‘Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.’ In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as ‘suckers’ for getting killed.”

New York Times: “Moreover, people familiar with Mr. Trump’s private conversations say he has long scorned those who served in Vietnam as being too dumb to have gotten out of it, as he did through a medical diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels. At other times, according to those familiar with the remarks, Mr. Trump has expressed bewilderment that people choose military service over making money.”

Washington Post: “Trump unleashed his disdain, calling Afghanistan a ‘loser war.’ That phrase hung in the air and disgusted not only the military leaders at the table but also the men and women in uniform sitting along the back wall behind their principals. They all were sworn to obey their commander in chief’s commands, and here he was calling the war they had been fighting a loser war.

‘You’re all losers,’ Trump said. ‘You don’t know how to win anymore.’ …

“[Trump’s comments] stunned nearly everyone in the room, and some vowed that they would never repeat them. Indeed, they have not been reported until now. ‘I wouldn’t go to war with you people,’ Trump told the assembled brass. Addressing the room, the commander in chief barked, ‘You’re a bunch of dopes and babies.’”

The Hill: “President Trump on Wednesday minimized the injuries of several U.S. service members who suffered concussions during an Iranian missile attack on two Iraqi bases that house American personnel.”
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