Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) issued a statement Monday responding to reports which suggested that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had shared “detailed information” about potential military strikes into Yemen and that President Trump is seeking his removal from office.
In the release, Hamadeh, in his capacity as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed in concurrence with President Trump that Hegseth enjoys his strong support and pointedly questioned “whether fake news reports about unrest in the ranks of the Department of Defense are intended to weaken our national security.”
In a post to X, the congressman wrote, “As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have full confidence in @PeteHegseth and his team at DoD. The fake news had its sights on him since he was first nominated, yet he’s been moving positive changes at lightning speed. Keep up the good work!”
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have full confidence in @PeteHegseth and his team at DoD. The fake news had its sights on him since he was first nominated, yet he’s been moving positive changes at lightning speed. Keep up the good work! 🇺🇸💪
Hamadeh reportedly urged news outlets nationwide to return to President Ronald Reagan’s motto of “’trust but verify,’ before publishing ‘news’ based on claims from individuals with no affinity for the facts or have nefarious motives.”
This would appear to reference a New York Times story’s reliance on “four people with knowledge” of an alleged Signal chat, which was purported to include Secretary Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal attorney, and NPR’s similar reliance on an unnamed “U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly,” as a source for its story suggesting Hegseth’s imminent ouster.
Hamadeh’s office excoriated both outlets writing, “Few news outlets reported about the fact that the Biden Administration’s Department of Defense did not publicly disclose – in violation of the law – that one of the country’s two National Command Authorities, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was unable to perform his duties.
“In contrast, it appears outlets are creating ‘news’ out of whole cloth, eroding trust in our national security baselessly to the benefit of enemies both foreign and domestic.
“Currently, a disconcerting debate is raging on social media as to what opinions and policy positions should and should not be allowed to be heard. Unlike others participating in that debate, a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer, would never call for censorship or for the silencing of opposing voices, but understands the effects of fake news and false narratives on the troops.
“Given the fact that recruiting is up across the board for our military service branches to a 15-year high and morale is up among the troops thanks to Secretary Hegseth, it is not unreasonable to suspect that those spreading clearly false rumors about Secretary Hegseth might have not have our country’s welfare in mind.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 4/20/25
STATEMENT:
Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their…
Hamadeh concluded with an admonishment of “propogandists posing as journalists,” saying in full: “While some of us are sacrificing our time with our families and friends to tirelessly promote peace through strength, propagandists posing as journalists are trying to undermine our country by spreading lies.”
In a statement responding to the Times’ report, Department of Defense spokesman Sean Parnell issued a categoric denial of the allegations against Hegseth saying, “Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda.”
Questioned on the story by reporters during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, President Trump told reporters on the South Lawn, “He is doing a great job. … Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.” He continued, “It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people.”
Hegseth himself told Fox News, “This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations.”
One of, if not the, highlights of President Donald Trump’s first months in office has been the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by entrepreneur (and the world’s richest man) Elon Musk. Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE has not just exposed wasteful spending— but worked to reduce spending by eliminating entire agencies and even cabinet departments.
For example, DOGE pulled back the curtain on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Before DOGE exposed it, most Americans thought of USAID (if they thought of it at all) as an agency that provided humanitarian aid and development assistance to impoverished people in other countries. DOGE revealed that USAID’s humanitarian work was a cover for their true mission: making political and cultural change overseas. This is why USAID has spent millions on absurd “development” projects like transgender plays in Colombia, DEI schemes in Serbia and electric car subsidies in Vietnam.
Eliminating USAID would not mean the end of overseas development and humanitarian aid. It would mean that the aid would come from private charities. These charities can do a better job of providing aid than a government bureaucracy. As outrageous as USAID’s spending is, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the Pentagon’s over $800 billion (and on track to exceed $2 trillion by 2033) budget.
The “defense” budget is the third largest item in the federal budget, behind Social Security and Medicare. Few politicians will risk the wrath of senior citizens by voting to make any changes to these programs unless the changes are phased in such a way as to not affect those currently on, or close to, relying on the programs. Thus, any serious plan to reduce spending and debt must cut the bloated “defense” budget. Savings from reductions in military spending can be used to help support those dependent on federal programs as Congress unwinds the welfare state. Cutting military spending would be politically popular as most polls show a majority of Americans— including Republicans—support reducing America’s military commitments.
The poster child for wasteful Pentagon spending, which is thankfully already in Elon Musk’s crosshairs, is the F-35 —a $1.7 trillion disaster of delays, breakdowns and runaway costs. The plane, the most expensive military program ever, often sits grounded. The F-35 may be the most obvious example of wasteful Pentagon spending, but it is hardly alone. After all, this is the agency that brought us the $500 toilet seat. Shutting down boondoggles like the F-35 could provide revenue to help pay down the debt and protect those currently dependent on federal programs. It could also help ensure the forthcoming tax bill does not further increase the deficit.
DOGE is not the first effort to identify and eliminate wasteful spending. President Ronald Reagan had the Grace Commission, a sort of DOGE 1.0 that unearthed billions in waste—from the Department of Energy to the IRS. Their findings were buried by entrenched interests and a cowardly Congress. The lesson of the Grace Commission is that reducing even the most obvious wasteful spending requires the courage to stand up to the entrenched interests in both parties that benefit from the current system.
Trump and Musk may have the necessary convictions to make serious changes in the ways Washington works. However, they need to be prepared for the swamp to fight back. Democrats and their allies are already waging war against DOGE. To them, trying to identify and eliminate wasteful spending or even asking federal employees what they actually do is an assault on democracy. Most Democrats will join hawkish Republicans in seeking to protect the Pentagon’s budget. It would not be surprising if Congress’s bipartisan military-industrial complex caucus smeared those advocating cuts in the bloated military budget as “Putin’s puppets.”
The federal debt is growing by approximately $1 trillion every three months. To put that in perspective, consider that the federal debt did not reach the $1 trillion mark until 1981. Unless action is taken soon to reduce spending, pay down the federal debt and roll back the welfare-warfare state—America will face a serious economic crisis. Therefore, it is important that everyone who understands the stakes do what they can to support Trump and Musk’s efforts.
Thanks to DOGE and four wunderkind coders in Treasury’s basement, Americans learned this week that their government sent millions to fund a “DEI musical” in Ireland, a “transgender comic book” in Peru, electric vehicles in Vietnam, and an Anthony Fauci exhibit at the NIH Museum.
Faster than Ludicrous+ mode on a Tesla, the Trump admin’s new code bros are sifting through the financial ledger of America’s spending. Just 20 days in office and the new administration has saved the American taxpayer billions of dollars — exactly what Trump promised on the campaign trail. And as the president’s third week unfolded, news worsened for Democrats and America’s permanent bureaucratic state.
It seems the permanent bureaucracy borrowed the U.S.S.R.’s media playbook, funneling millions to left-wing news organizations such as The New York Times, Politico and Reuters. Evidently it wasn’t enough that a Republican in the newsrooms of our state-run media outlets, PBS and NPR, is rarer than a cogent sentence from Kamala.
Democrats, meanwhile, have decided that this Deathstar boondoggle of government spending at its worst is the hill they want to die on. Conservatives watched with glee as Rep. Maxine Waters, Sen. Chuck Schumer, et al, led the Charge of the Lightweight Brigade to USAID’s former headquarters. Cue dopey chant: “wE Will wiN!” (2025 update—no, you didn’t).
Before all the spending porn (as the great Louisiana wag, Senator John Kennedy dubbed it), Democrats’ opinion polls were in the gutter, with a disapproval rating of 57%.
Do the Dems think rushing to the barricades to defend out-of-control spending will earn them the respect and admiration of the American public? Expect their approval ratings to continue to sink like the Hindentanic.
USAID is just the beginning.
Wait until DOGE bites into the Department of Defense, which has never passed an audit.
In 2019 while on reserve duty at the Pentagon, I was thrown into yet another meeting chockablock with PowerPoint slides, so beloved by our military. This particular meeting was to cover the results of a service-wide audit. To summarize about 187 slides and 2 hours: we failed.
All the top brass in the room somberly listened to the auditors describe $5 billion worth of missing aircraft engines, leases for buildings and land that did not exist, accounting systems closer in age to the abacus than a modern spreadsheet, and miles of missing debits and credits.
As the most junior officer in the room, I kept quiet but closely studied the faces of my superiors. They too, kept quiet, only murmuring “next slide” as disaster after financial disaster was flashed across the screens.
My inner fiscal hawk prayed that the service chief would flip the table over and channel Col. Nathan “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH” Jessep. But he remained impassive and the meeting dissolved with a whimper and no plans for reform.
That night leaving D.C., I happened to bump into a very senior republican senator at Reagan National Airport and thought it my civic duty to share the (unclassified) events of earlier in the day. I told the venerable appropriator that the audit had revealed billions in waste, fraud, and abuse, and even suggested he should make a request to see the failed audit for himself.
(In the hindsight afforded by three years working in the U.S. Senate, I now know how utterly naive this moment was).
He paused a moment, then said, “Well, you know how these things are. That’s Washington for you.”
I felt sick at the time, which is likely the same feeling many Americans are having this week as they see the grift laid bare in our nation’s capital.
But the good news is that Trump and his DOGE team have restored the hope that government might be right-sized and returned to solid financial footing.
On Friday, when he was asked about the job Elon Musk is doing, the President remarked, “I think we’re going to be very close to balancing budgets for the first time for many years.”
What a tantalizing prospect — a government that spends within its means may truly bring about the golden age of America promised in the president’s inaugural address.
Morgan Murphy is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, military thought leader, former press secretary to the Secretary of Defense, and national security advisor in the U.S. Senate.
One member of Arizona’s Republican congressional delegation is standing strong for the hopeful Pentagon head under the new presidential administration.
Last week, U.S. Congressman Eli Crane signed a letter in support of Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense when the Trump Administration assumes control of the nation on January 20, 2025.
The letter was signed by 32 veterans in the United States Congress and was sent to Majority Leader-elect John Thune and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate.
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “[Hegseth’s] ability to communicate across institutional landscapes – with military leadership, congressional representatives, and frontline troops – will set him apart. His media expertise and transparent communication style will be crucial in executing a clear vision that cuts through bureaucratic inertia. As a decorated combat veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, he offers an authentic understanding of modern warfare. His Harvard and Princeton credentials, combined with battlefield experience, forged a rare intellect aligned with President-elect Trump’s strategic vision, to bridge the gap between the beltway and frontline realities.”
The letter added, “Despite relentless media attempts to undermine Mr. Hegseth’s nomination, we call on the Senate to honor its constitutional duty of advice and consent by conducting a fair, thorough confirmation process that evaluates his nomination solely on its substantive merits – his distinguished military service, academic credentials, and a bold vision for revitalizing our national defense. The integrity of our democratic institutions depends on allowing this critical process to proceed.”
The congressional co-signers concluded their communication with an unequivocal statement of support for Hegseth, noting their confidence that “he will transform President-elect Trump’s vision into reality, safeguarding America’s national security interests with courage, intellect, and unwavering commitment.”
When President-elect Donald J. Trump nominated Hegseth last month to serve as the next Secretary of Defense, he said, “Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down. … Pete has also led two Veterans Advocacy organizations, leading the fight for our Warriors, and our great Veterans. Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our “Peace through Strength” policy.
Hegseth is currently navigating an uphill battle in the U.S. Senate to secure the necessary votes he needs for cabinet confirmation in January with the 119th Congress, which will feature Republican control in the upper chamber.
Crane is finishing up his first term in the United States House of Representatives after being elected to Arizona’s Second Congressional District in November 2022. He is a military veteran of the United States Navy, serving thirteen years, including on SEAL Team 3. Before entering Congress, Crane also operated a small business.
This past November, Congressman Crane sailed to reelection over his Democrat opponent, with almost 55% of the vote. He serves on the Committees on Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Small Businesses. He is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, Western Caucus, and Copper Caucus.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A year-long study by the Arizona State University Center for American Institutions examining the Department of Defense (DOD) has identified and soundly condemned what the authors refer to as the “Vast DEI Bureaucracy” that has pervaded the everyday operations of the Pentagon and the varied service academies of the U.S. Uniformed Services. Damningly, the report found that the DOD has spent millions in taxpayer dollars creating a culture of “race and sex-based scapegoating and stereotyping.” The study in and of itself is a brutal excoriation of the military under the Biden Administration and “calls for an immediate end to the Pentagon’s multimillion-dollar DEI bureaucracy.”
The study, “The National Commission on Civic Education in the Military,” was compiled by Commissioners Lt. Col. (ret.) Matthew Lohmeier, Karrin Taylor Robson, and John Cauthen, along with a team of ASU researchers who over the past year evaluated, “the history, evolution, and implementation of diversity and equity programs across all branches of the military and military academies.” The final report is titled, “Civic Education in the Military: Are Servicemembers More Prepared for Micro-Aggression or Macro-Aggression?”
Professor Donald Critchlow, Director of the Center for American Institutions, explained the findings in a release provided to AZ Free News, “Our research reviewed DEI policy in the military starting in the nineteen seventies to the modern day and concluded there are far more effective ways to promote unity and respect among military ranks than by spending millions annually to divide servicemembers by their gender or race.”
Critchlow added, “Just as private companies have abandoned the toxic advice of DEI consultants and programs, military leaders should end social engineering based on critical race theory and restore approaches that promote character and merit.”
The report opens with an Executive Introduction in which Critchlow definitively states, “Given its importance, the U.S. Armed Forces should not be a laboratory for social experimentation, especially one based on Critical Race Theory, a contentious and abstract social theory. Yet, as this Commission Report on Civic Education in the Military shows in great detail, Critical Race Theory is promoted within Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training throughout the military from the Pentagon through the ranks and in our service academies.”
NEWS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Are Necessities in U.S. Military. https://t.co/7WEWrveNcc
A sampling of the most egregious findings includes:
“DEI themes dominate the training and education that members of the armed forces receive about their country. As ‘white supremacy’ and racism have become a central focus of DEI trainings, white supremacist racism is assumed to be the core problem of the nation and of the military.”
“DEI training focuses on rooting out ‘white supremacy’ even though there is little or no evidence that there is a problem of white supremacy in the military. The massive hunt during the stand-down in 2020 located roughly 100 out of a force of 2.1 million.”
“Spending on DEI programming is increasing. The DOD’s allocation for DEI projects jumped from $68 million in fiscal year 2022 to $86.5 million in fiscal year 2023. The Pentagon is requesting $114.7 million for fiscal year 2024.”
West Point Military Academy offers a minor in “Diversity and Inclusion Studies,” with courses such as “Social Inequality,” “The Politics of Race, Gender, and Sexuality,” and “Power and Difference.” In the course description, the report reveals the courses as “an introduction to the theoretical concepts of post-modernism. This will include a focus on Feminist Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Queer Theory.”
U.S. Navy training asserts that servicemembers who reject implicit racial bias are “potential problems” saying, “Participants who refuse to acknowledge how bias has affected their lives or the lives of others may invalidate the experience of those with marginalized identities in the room and cause them harm,” and instructs sailors to “Prioritize a continuing conversation, rather than attempting to shut the conversation down. One suggestion is to acknowledge the bias-denier’s comments and ask for other perspectives from the rest of the group.” A procedure which could be compared to a classic Maoist “struggle session.”
The Army released directives Wednesday prohibiting soldiers from defined extremist activities and guiding commanders on how to handle cases. https://t.co/5JKIPQchKU
As reported by Task and Purpose, an Army directive has been aimed at rooting out “extremism” which includes “requirements set in the 2021 NDAA for service IGs to work with the Deputy Inspector General for Diversity and Inclusion and Extremism in the Military ‘to establish policies, processes, tracking mechanisms and reporting requirements for allegations of supremacist, extremist, and criminal gang activity in the Army,’” citing a statement from Sean Mackintosh of the Army Inspector General Agency.
As Lohmeier, a former Space Force commander who was removed from duty in 2021 after drawing public scrutiny to DEI training, summarized, “It’s no surprise that young people are turning away from military service in record numbers. As this comprehensive report illuminates, DEI indoctrination has become a core component of military training that begins for officers even at the service academies.” He continued, “How can we be prepared to confront our adversaries if our warfighters aren’t laser focused on the mission but instead are divided and distracted by ideology?”
The report makes several recommendations on how the DOD can remediate the situation and begin to undo the damage. It calls upon the Pentagon to:
“Immediately end the DEI bureaucracy or pursue alternative avenues to affect positive change despite existing policies.”
“Return to the military’s outstanding tradition of merit-based selections and promotions and nondiscriminatory equal opportunity.”
“Make the syllabi for all humanities and social sciences courses taught at our military service academies publicly available.”
“Provide educational training materials to enhance personnel understanding of American philosophy, politics, government, and the Constitution.”
