Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, where his opening remarks were interrupted by protests that immediately set the tone for the hearing.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts grilled Hegseth on the suspected insider trading tied to oil prices during the war in Iran. Investigations have shown traders placed more than $1 billion in “perfectly timed” bets—suggesting near-precognition of the United States’ military actions.
“Do you have any other explanation other than insider trading?” Warren asked after Hegseth deflected, pleading ignorance. “You’ve paid no attention to this, you haven’t noticed it, you haven’t done anything about it?”
“What I’m saying is we’re focused on our mission of executing for the American people and what happens in betting markets is not something we’re involved in,” Hegseth replied.
Warren then roasted Hegseth’s apparent indifference.
“What happens in betting markets doesn’t matter to you?” Warren asked. “Even if the information may be coming from insiders in your office?”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan challenged Hegseth to uphold the Constitution, raising concerns about President Donald Trump’s public fantasizing about deploying federal troops to polling stations.
“It’s yet another gotcha hypothetical,” Hegseth said. “Which is your specialty, and ultimately under the Biden administration in 2024—”
““It’s not a hypothetical. I refuse to accept,” Slotkin interrupted. “You give that answer all the time. You and I have done this dance before. Get over it, OK?”
“Are you accusing me of performing because you’re performing for cable news right now?” Hegseth shot back.
“Dude,” Slotkin replied. “Just answer the question.”
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona pressed Hegseth on his crazy March 13 statement: “We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,” Hegseth boasted, seen by many as endorsing tactics violating the laws of war.
“It’s my understanding that the definition of ‘No Quarter’ is that legitimate offers of surrender will be refused, or that detainees will be executed,” Kelly said. “Is that your understanding of the definition?”
After Hegseth sidestepped the question with a strange jingoistic response blaming Iran, Kelly asked directly, “Do you stand by that statement you made on March 13th?”
“We have untied the hands of our warfighters,” Hegseth replied. “We fight to win and we follow the law.”
“OK, so you’re not clarifying,” Kelly said. “You’re the secretary of defense. The things you say matter and your response here right now makes it clear to the American people exactly why you are not right for this.”
Two days of congressional hearings unveiled a consistent pattern from Hegseth: direct questions get met with deflection, legal concerns are brushed aside, and oversight is treated as a nuisance. The result was less a defense of policy than a sustained display of pig-headed evasion.
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