The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, stated repeatedly in 2016 on Fox News that US service members should refuse “unlawful” orders from a potential president Trump – exactly the position he called “despicable” when Democratic lawmakers said it last month.
The debate about whether US soldiers should refuse illegal orders is now at the center of a fiery political dispute over the US killings of alleged drug traffickers in boats off the coast of Venezuela and Colombia.
In video unearthed by CNN from March of 2016, when Donald Trump was a Republican presidential candidate, Hegseth responded to Trump’s comments in a debate by clarifying that service members did, in fact, have a duty to refuse any illegal orders.
“You’re not just gonna follow that order if it’s unlawful,” Hegseth, then a Fox News contributor, said in an appearance on the show Fox & Friends, where he would eventually become a host.
17 Comments
SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml · 62 pts · 246d
He says whatever he's PAID to say. Are you looking for morals???
Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip · 17 pts · 246d
No, they're pointing out that any attempt to go after the 6 Democrats for saying the exact same thing Kegsbreath said is a political attack with no basis in an actual crime
LillyPip@lemmy.ca · -2 pts · 245d
It’s too late for that. Fascism doesn’t care about laws, only loyalty.
Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 245d
Stop trying to silence people pointing out this isn't normal. You're only helping the fascism by demanding silence.
LillyPip@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 245d
I’m not trying to silence anyone. Quite the contrary – it’s past time to do something about this.
hperrin@lemmy.ca · 31 pts · 246d
I guess that’s treason and he should be hanged, according to BLOATUS.
logicbomb@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 246d
The "cruel and unusual punishment" section should have an exception for irony.
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 246d
The problem with most authoritarian regimes is that most of the people involved are selfish. Pretty much everyone in Trump's entourage is only on his side for personal gain. When he dies it's gonna be a bloodbath as they fight over anything and everything. It'd be funny if they weren't taking us all down with them.
tal@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 246d
I would imagine that he's got a will that defines where his assets are going.
atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 246d
It's the power vacuume that will be the issue, not his money. Will kushner listen to President guyliner? Will hegseth follow commands from racist Nosferatu?
It remains to be seen, but I'm hoping we see it sooner rather than later.
TommySoda@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 246d
And I'm sure they'll honor that with same integrity that they apply to everything else.
Cringedrif@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 246d
But then 47 paid him and he kissed the cumquat...now do what he says or be removed.
Jerb322@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 246d
All he has to say is that trump hasn't given any illegal orders yet....
kikutwo@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 246d
Leg shackles for him! Also check his thoughts so Bondi can declare him a terrorist.
YetAnotherNerd@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 245d
Raise some money, buy ads using it. Except fascists don’t care about the inconsistency, that’s a feature.
olympicyes@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 245d
In the novel 1984, George Orwell calls that phenomenon “double think”.
"WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH."
takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 246d
That might be the thing that could push trump to fire Hegseth /s