74 Comments

Thank you for putting this information together. There is no way Hegseth should manage ANYTHING let alone the US Defense Dept. Is it possible for an entire country to die from stupidity?

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We’re dying one paper cut at a time. Yes, I believe it is possible.

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Hegseth has a second tattoo associated with white Christian nationalism. He sports a large cross of Jerusalem on his chest. I read that the cross on his chest is stylized to represent not just the crusader cross of Jerusalem but the iron cross of Nazism. This man is totally unfit as head of the DOD and is a danger to democracy.

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And he was deemed an inappropriate choice to be close to Biden on Inauguration Day in large part (according to reports) because the of tattoos. His mouth was always running so they may have been the “visible” evidence.

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So much for "Minnesota nice." This guy is an outright menace.

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Where would we get this information from when the proposed head of the FCC has his way. I hope all the legitimate major media has the courage to do actual journalism. Also I am worried about all of the journalists who will now be functioning in a hostile and threatening environment. We must support them all with our voices and our financial support.

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This guy is a predator.

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We are doomed. Trump promised retaliation and these appointments are his weapon.

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This laundry list of "things" we should know about Hegseth as a man and a nominee heading--possibly--to the Department of Defense is nothing new, startling, alarming, or anything else. We have seen these deficiencies with virtually every single person who served in Trump's first term. We have seen them among Republican members of Congress, with more in the House, however. And now, here we go with a fresh crop of the usual idiotic clowns.

What frightens me is not the excesses of unethical behavior and no association with anything approaching morality by Hegseth. No, I'm frightened by the millions of Americans who voted for the creature who would advance such a man as Hegseth and, therefore, see nothing wrong with any of those 13 points. In fact, these awful Americans probably exhibit most of those "qualities" themselves.

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I disagree. His first term did have a few honest and upright individuals that I disagreed with from a policy perspective. These are the people who are now condeming Trump. But this new list is terrifying. There is not an honerable or trustworthy person among them. I am terrified for our future if even one of them is installed in the Cabinet. Much less all of them. And it could very easily happen.

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1 hr ago·edited 59 mins ago

I agree. The previous characters did not have their hands on the Pentagon / Defense and he went through 3 AGs. His administration was mostly stymied earlier in his term. This time there are no guard rails.

In a convoluted way if the Senate caves and gives him the power of recess appointments it could be helpful? Those appointments would expire in 2 yrs — Wouldn’t that be right after the midterms. Neo-Nazis are marching in the Midwest. How many people think they voted for that?

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Hegseth is so bad he can't even score a weekday slot on Fox but he will be the next Secretary of Defense either after confirmation by spineless Republican senators or by recess appointment. And he will be a spectacular failure. The military won't respect him. The contractors will laugh at him. Our foes will be emboldened by him (and by the Russian agent Gabbard as DNI) and something very bad will happen. And no one will be able to blame "woke" or women or LGBTQ although they will try. And when the blame points at Trump, Hegseth will be fired immediately to make him the scapegoat.

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Hogsbreath will then get a weeknight slot on Newsmax. Trump will put an equally or even less unqualified person in his place and the beat goes on and on.

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Seems logical but I don’t know how it will hold given the transition team’s plans being reported re: court martials. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-transition-team-compiling-list-035251121.html

I’m not certain if Flynn gets the authority to do this stuff he will only use the cover of Afghanistan for his revenge efforts.

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Thank you for doing this work. People, pay for a subscription to support Judd Legum's independent journalism!

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Does he have any, ANY positive qualities???

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Not one

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Unlike Steve Bannon, he appears to bathe regularly.

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Unclear. He doesn't wash his hands. He bragged about that.

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The guy is totally bent. The new order is chaos for clicks. US used to be cock of the walk. Now we're a geek show biting the head off a chicken.

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IN the above apt METAPHOR, is the chicken democracy? Perhaps for a more tangible image, the U.S. Constitution?

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Thank you, Judd, for alerting us to the horrors that await us. Forewarned is forearmed. Hegseth sounds like a really nasty excuse for a human being. Worse, with Trump as an enabler, he won’t learn anything about how government is supposed to work as so many have before him.

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founding

Thank you Judd and team for your investigation and revealing information about Pete Hegseth. Now, we thoroughly understand why Trump chose him--Trump would love every detail you came up with! Let's all find out what newspapers and tv news shows share this information with the public.

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Seems on brand for Trump and the GOP.

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This mysoginistic rapist should have been locked up. His lawyer stated that the alleged victim had "been the aggressor." Hegseth claim it's not rape if the woman is unconscious? So I guess it's not theft if no one sees you steal?

This creep has no business in a position of authority over women. PERIOD.

Aside from being totally unqualified, he's a proven liar, blatantly untrustworthy, a verified rapist,abd mysoginistic A-hole.

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founding

If it's not rape because an unconscious woman is the aggressor, it's not theft because the inanimate objects jump into your pocket.

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Wow. That's all.

Only the best "people" (aka loyalists) for 47.

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