Praise poured in for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he didn’t leak U.S. plans to bomb Iranian nuclear sites – a low standard Democrats were quick to mock.
Newsmax host Todd Starnes applauded Hegseth’s efforts on X, writing, Not a single leak. Well done, @SecDef” seemingly referencing the so-called “Signal-gate” scandal.
The incident saw the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic added to a group chat with national security officials, including Hegseth, as a drone strike got underway against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Critics of President Donald Trump’s administration, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, held back any praise for the embattled Defense Secretary.
“This is like applauding a grown man for being able to wipe their behind,” the New York Democrat wrote on X. “Not exactly a vote of confidence.”
Other X users were quick to join in on the mocking, with one person adding, “LOL. He didn’t pee himself either! WHAT A BIG BOY!”
“The signal app was down,” another social media user joked.
“This is such an embarrassing new standard to try to celebrate,” another person said.
Another user quipped: “MAGA praising Pete for not leaking war plans again is like giving a toddler a medal for not eating glue – congratulations, he finally did the bare minimum.”
Hegseth described the U.S. strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites as an “incredible and overwhelming success,” adding that they “devastated the Iranian nuclear program.”
The strikes have also drawn swift threats of retaliation from some Iranian leaders, including the country’s army chief, who warned the strikes have given Tehran a “free hand” to “act against U.S. interests and its army.”
UN officials on Monday said “very significant damage” was caused in the U.S. bombardment, which followed strikes from Israel just days before.
Israel launched airstrikes on Iran earlier this month on June 13, after accusing it of being days way from developing a nuclear weapon. The attack kicked off a long-feared war that the U.S. directly entered over the weekend.
Ocasio-Cortez also called the strikes “grounds for impeachment,” which sparked backlash from the likes of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
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