WEBVTT - Pete Hegseth's Confirmation Hearing Was A Joke

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<v Speaker 1>There really are no words, not in English, that are

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<v Speaker 1>adequate to describe the ascension of Pete hegseeth to be

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<v Speaker 1>the United States Secretary of Defense, to be atop the

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<v Speaker 1>chain of command of five thousand plus nuclear warheads, the

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<v Speaker 1>ballistic missile submarines, the captains and the crews, the strategic bombers,

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<v Speaker 1>the United States Marine Corps, and the Army and the Navy,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Coastguard and the Space Force. This is the warning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a moment of deep, deep shame and dishonor,

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<v Speaker 1>and yes, collapse. The founders of this country envisions that

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<v Speaker 1>the Congress of bi cameral legislature made up of two houses,

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<v Speaker 1>upper and lower, one representatives of the people, the House

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<v Speaker 1>of Representatives, the other the United States Senate, to whom

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<v Speaker 1>was given the responsibility of advice and giving their consent

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<v Speaker 1>on the President's nominations, not as a subordinate branch of government,

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<v Speaker 1>but a coequal branch of government. Not so long ago,

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<v Speaker 1>the United States Senate was known and admired all over

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<v Speaker 1>the world has its greatest deliberative body. Think about that,

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<v Speaker 1>and then watch this clown from Oklahoma.

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<v Speaker 2>Mark Wayne Mullen, the Senator from Virginia starts bringing up

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<v Speaker 2>the fact that what if you showed up drunk to

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<v Speaker 2>your job? How many Senators have showed up drunk to

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<v Speaker 2>vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them

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<v Speaker 2>to step down and resign for their job? And don't

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<v Speaker 2>tell me you haven't seen it, because I know you have.

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<v Speaker 2>And then how many senators do you know have got

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<v Speaker 2>a divorce before cheating on their wives? Did you ask

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<v Speaker 2>them to step down?

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<v Speaker 3>No?

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<v Speaker 2>But it's for show, you guys. Make sure you make

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<v Speaker 2>a big show and point out the hypocrisy because a

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<v Speaker 2>man's made a mistake and you want to sit there

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<v Speaker 2>and say that he's not qualified. Give me a joke.

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<v Speaker 1>He's a case study. Watch him talk about Matt Gates

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<v Speaker 1>before Donald Trump laid his magic hand on him.

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<v Speaker 2>You got to think about this guy. This is a

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<v Speaker 2>guy that didn't have that The media didn't give a

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<v Speaker 2>time at day to after he was accused of sleeping

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<v Speaker 2>with an underage girl. There's a reason why no one

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<v Speaker 2>in the conference came defended him because we had all

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<v Speaker 2>seen the videos he was showing on the house floor

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<v Speaker 2>that all of us had walked away of the girls

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<v Speaker 2>that he had slept with. He'd brag about how he

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<v Speaker 2>would crush ed medicine and chase it with with an

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<v Speaker 2>energy drink so he could go all night.

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<v Speaker 1>And after he's.

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<v Speaker 3>Already heard from the lawyer, from some of the people

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<v Speaker 3>who did testify to the House Ethics Committee that he

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<v Speaker 3>had a client who testified that she had not only

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<v Speaker 3>seen him pay for sex with women, but also engage

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<v Speaker 3>in sex with a seventeen year old woman at a

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<v Speaker 3>drug filled party. Is that something that concerns you?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, if it is true, and I mean I got

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<v Speaker 2>to say that that is true.

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<v Speaker 1>Are you disturbed by it? Do you think it's funny?

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<v Speaker 1>Or can you comprehend that? It's the preface to catastrophe.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the preface to the Pete Hegsath Era. Department of

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<v Speaker 1>Defense is a one trillion dollar government agency. The man

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<v Speaker 1>who is likely to lead it is unfit. He is

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<v Speaker 1>the exact type of person we spend billions in this

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<v Speaker 1>country trying to keep the officers of our armed forces

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<v Speaker 1>from becoming He is the case study for the lack

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<v Speaker 1>of character, judgment, probity, and rectitude the Cadets study. Pete

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<v Speaker 1>Hegseth is a moral disaster. As a leader for the

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<v Speaker 1>armed forces of the United States, Pete Hegsath showed pre confirmation,

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<v Speaker 1>pre installment, prepower, his sneering, abject contempt for America's democracy.

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<v Speaker 1>For the United States Senators, what we witnessed yesterday was

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<v Speaker 1>the abandonment of a central tenant of the American democracy,

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<v Speaker 1>most spectacularly in the form of Jony Ernst. Jony Ernst

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<v Speaker 1>claims herself to be a sexual assault survivor and a

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<v Speaker 1>combat veteran. Maybe so, but let's be clear, there will

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<v Speaker 1>be more rapes in the military, and there are too

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<v Speaker 1>many already. Jony Ernst does not care about them. She

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<v Speaker 1>gives absolutely zero and I mean zero fi Jony Ernst

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<v Speaker 1>cares about one thing, Donald Trump and being in his

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<v Speaker 1>favor because Jony Ernst likes being told what to do,

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<v Speaker 1>apparently not exercising independent judgment or thought. A woman who

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<v Speaker 1>is elected in part on the basis of her service

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<v Speaker 1>as a National Guard lieutenant colonel, a combat veteran, would

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<v Speaker 1>dare to vote for Pete Hegseth to lead the American military.

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<v Speaker 1>It can be said at the instant the vote is

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<v Speaker 1>made to confirm this low man that the Republic has

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<v Speaker 1>fallen because the United States Senate has subordinated itself, stripped

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<v Speaker 1>itself of power, has prostrated itself, laid down, and done

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<v Speaker 1>nothing to exercise the constitutional power it has to prevent

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<v Speaker 1>the catastrophe that Pete Hegseth will augur. And let's understand,

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<v Speaker 1>it is not just the perfidy of the MAGA senators, Yeah, Jeck, stupidity,

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<v Speaker 1>the imbecility of the apologists for the indefensible. It is

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<v Speaker 1>beyond that. It is the utter fecklessness of the Chuck

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<v Speaker 1>Schumer Democratic Senate. What is the plan to stop this? Chuck?

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<v Speaker 1>The answer is, like always, there is none. Empty postures

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<v Speaker 1>and hollow words from a silly man leading a political

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<v Speaker 1>party broke it and corrupt enough that the American people

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<v Speaker 1>chose this over them. Many of them believe they ran

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<v Speaker 1>a flawless campaign. There are no words. This is a

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<v Speaker 1>moment of grave danger for this country. What happened in

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<v Speaker 1>November is coming due. The inauguration is here, and it

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<v Speaker 1>will be appalling. There is nothing standing in Donald Trump's

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<v Speaker 1>way except the courts of law, democratic governors, state legislatures,

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<v Speaker 1>and the most powerful interest group en force in the country,

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<v Speaker 1>which is the American people, who are historically slow to

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<v Speaker 1>rise in anger, but they do rise in anger, the

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<v Speaker 1>anger of the American people, help put Donald Trump back

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<v Speaker 1>in power, and I fear we will pay for it

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<v Speaker 1>a very high price. Pete Heseeth isn't Defense Secretary yet,

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<v Speaker 1>but it looks like soon he will be. And when

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<v Speaker 1>he becomes the most powerful defense minister in the world,

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<v Speaker 1>it is right that you should feel a cold chill

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<v Speaker 1>down your spine because you have been left unprotected by

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<v Speaker 1>America's political leaders, who would dare vote yes for this buffoon.

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<v Speaker 1>They have a responsibility to America's fighting men and women,

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<v Speaker 1>and the utterly, completely absolutely abandon it for politics. Pete

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<v Speaker 1>Hag said is unfit. He is a moral and ethical chernobyl.

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<v Speaker 1>He would be carried off of the bridge of a

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<v Speaker 1>ballistic missile submarine if he were the captain in a

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<v Speaker 1>straight jacket. His drinking is disqualifying, His conduct is disqualifying.

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<v Speaker 1>His judgment is disqualifying, His recklessness is disqualifying. His abject

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<v Speaker 1>imbecility is disqualifying. His white nationalist tattoos are disqualifying. He's

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<v Speaker 1>the most unfit and unqualified person ever to be nominated

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<v Speaker 1>for a position of power in the United States Defense

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<v Speaker 1>establishment since its reorganization and establishment in nineteen forty seven. Appalling, disgraceful, dishonorable.

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<v Speaker 1>There are no words. This is the warning. I'm Steve Schmidt.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the warning, and I invite you to join.

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