It is one of the most remarkable political reversals in recent Washington history: the man who once warned that US service members had a 'duty' to refuse unlawful orders from a President Donald Trump is now using the full weight of his office to denounce others who dare to echo his same warnings.
Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of Defence, has long traded on his credibility as a Fox News contributor and a decorated former Army National Guard officer. Yet, exclusive and previously unreported comments unearthed from 2016 reveal the scale of his dramatic political U-turn.
As a presidential candidate, Trump drew widespread criticism for proposals that, according to military lawyers and commanders, would violate the laws of war, including vows to revive banned forms of torture and, chillingly, to 'kill the families of terrorists'.
At that time, Hegseth was crystal clear on the moral and legal consequences for the troops.
Speaking on Fox & Friends in March 2016, he referenced conversations with veterans, stating plainly: 'You're not just gonna follow that order if it's unlawful.' In another appearance on Fox Business that same month, he doubled down on the consensus view among the armed forces: 'The military's not gonna follow illegal orders.'
He even made the bold assertion during a speaking appearance later that year that the US military 'won't follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief.' These comments weren't just about military procedure; they were a defence of the US military's core ethical framework against a candidate who seemed determined to dismantle it.
Pete Hegseth's Damning 2016 Warning to Troops
The controversy culminated during a pivotal March 2016 Republican presidential debate. When pressed by a moderator about warnings that US forces were legally obligated to reject unlawful commands, Trump offered a defiant and chilling response.
'So what would you do, as commander in chief, if the US military refused to carry out those orders?' asked Fox News' Bret Baier.
Trump's reply was delivered with characteristic confidence: 'They won't refuse. They're not going to refuse me. Believe me.'
The day after that debate, Hegseth, then still a Fox News commentator, was brought on air to respond to the implications of Mr Trump's statement—a moment when Mr Trump was consolidating his lead as the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Appearing on Megyn Kelly's programme, Hegseth articulated a deep concern over the human consequence for service members. 'Here's the problem with Trump,' he said, referencing the rhetoric. 'He says, 'Go ahead and kill the family. Go ahead and torture. Go ahead and go further than waterboarding.''
He continued, focusing on the potential abandonment of troops: 'What happens when people follow those orders, or don't follow them? It's not clear that Donald Trump will have their back.'
In a damning indictment of the future President, he concluded: 'Donald Trump is oftentimes about Donald Trump. And so you can't; if you're not changing the law and you're just saying it, you create even more ambiguity.'
The Seditious Six: Why Pete Hegseth Is Denouncing His Own Argument
Fast-forward to today, and the tables have turned entirely. Now serving as Secretary of Defence, Hegseth has launched a forceful campaign accusing a group of six Democratic lawmakers—dubbed the 'Seditious Six'—of undermining the chain of command for doing precisely what he advocated for in 2016.
The Democrats' 90-second message warned troops and intelligence personnel that 'threats to our Constitution' are coming 'from right here at home' and reminded them of their legal duty to reject illegal orders.
'No one has to carry out orders that violate the law, or our Constitution,' they declared. 'Know that we have your back. ... Don't give up the ship.'
The video was released amid a growing legal debate over the administration's attacks on alleged drug boats, which some lawmakers believe may have crossed legal boundaries, and the domestic deployment of active-duty troops.
Hegseth has condemned the video as a 'politically motivated influence operation' that created 'ambiguity rather than clarity' around established legal processes.
His current position is that the warning to troops 'undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion'—the exact complications he warned Trump's 2016 rhetoric would create.
The Secretary has even ordered a Pentagon investigation into one of the lawmakers, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain.
The White House has defended Hegseth's current stance.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: 'As he said last week, the military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders, but seditious Democrats injected ambiguity and failed to provide a single example because all of President Trump's actions have been lawful. Instead, these lawmakers sowed doubt in a clear chain of command, which is reckless, dangerous, and deeply irresponsible for an elected official.'
Yet, the conflict remains. Hegseth's past remarks—articulating the moral imperative to refuse illegal orders—stand in stark contradiction to his current role as the administration's chief defender, forcing many to question whether his principles have been sacrificed for political loyalty.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
