President Donald Trump is growing tired of the scandals surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and not pushing back against those saying he's not up for the job, according to a new report.
The Atlantic detailed that there are increasingly fewer people willing to stand up for Hegseth in the administration. Moreover, the outlet added, Trump is not happy that congressional Republicans are taking advantage of the issues to stand up to the White House.
One of them is Rep. Don Bacon, who claimed that his recent decisions have "ruined his credibility."
Speaking to Politico's Dasha Burns, Bacon said that after the aftermath of the incident known as "Signalgate" and Hegseth's reaction to it he thinks he has "seen enough."
"What I really wanted to see was someone take responsibility. Own to a mistake," Bacon added. He was making reference to the fact that Hegseth claimed "total exoneration" following a review of the Pentagon's inspector general regarding the episode.
The investigation in question concluded that Hegseth disclosed sensitive operational information about U.S. airstrikes in Yemen using the encrypted messaging app Signal, raising concerns that he may have put American personnel and missions at risk.
In another interview, Bacon said Hegseth's claim was "total baloney." "I have better words for it, but you can't say it on TV. I read the report and what I saw what had happened was wrong, but the report makes clear that the secretary put sensitive information that would ordinarily be classified," he added.
The inspector general concluded that Hegseth has authority to declassify information but found no documented decision showing he had done so before posting details from a document labeled Secret/NOFORN, meaning it could not be shared with foreign nationals.
Another lawmaker criticizing Hegseth is Sen. Rand Paul, who said Hegseth should testify "under oath" about the second strike against an alleged drug boat in September that has landed him in hot water.
Speaking to press after seeing the footage of the strike, Paul said he also thinks "the video of the distressed, shipwrecked or incapacitated people on those boats being bombed, that video should be shown to every American."
Other lawmakers have also expressed dismay about the images. Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, the party's top lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee, said he was stunned after the briefing. He added that Admiral Mitch Bradley, who took part in the episode, has a storied career and he has my respect and he should have the respect of all of us."
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