Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) took his criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a step further Friday, claiming the Pentagon chief’s recent decisions have “ruined his credibility.”
“I’ve been on the record already,” he told Politico’s Dasha Burns, who also hosts “Ceasefire” on C-SPAN. “After ‘Signalgate,’ I think I’ve seen enough. What I really wanted to see was someone take responsibility — own [up] to a mistake.”
“And then when he blamed the media or the, you know, the journalist for the story, it just — it ruined his credibility,” he added.
The Nebraska Republican noted that Hegseth “had some issues” going into his confirmation hearings, after President Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon. But, once he was confirmed, Bacon continued, he wanted to give the former Fox News host “a fair chance.”
“But I — what I’ve seen is what I call just poor decisionmaking,” the lawmaker, who will retire at the end of the term, told Burns.
His remarks come after a watchdog report released earlier this week found that Hegseth endangered troops and violated department policy by using his personal cellphone to send classified information about a pending strike on Houthi targets in Yemen through the Signal app.
Bacon on Thursday said the Trump administration’s claim that the report exonerated Hegseth was “total baloney” and criticized the Defense leader for not being willing to admit he made a mistake.
By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates
“A leader stands up, says, ‘I screwed up. I take responsibility. I learned my lesson. I won’t do it again.’” he told CNN. “This troubles me more the response and the actual misdeed, because it really undercuts his credibility as a leader.”
Hegseth has also been under scrutiny in recent days after reports surfaced that the Defense secretary ordered a second strike on a boat allegedly carrying narcotics to the U.S., after survivors were seen clinging to the side of the vessel. He pushed back on claims he ordered military leaders to “kill everybody” and has said he was not in the room when the second strike was ordered.
The Trump administration and Defense chief have continued to defend the Caribbean strikes amid rising tension with Venezuela over drug trafficking — though much of the blame has been placed on Navy Adm. Frank Bradley, who briefed lawmakers Thursday on the Sept. 2 attack.
Bacon also lashed out against the Pentagon’s new restrictions on the media in the Friday interview, tying them to Hegseth’s perceived unwillingness to “take responsibility.”
“So, for example, not taking responsibility in Signalgate, but has rules on the media where, you know, now he has a bunch of second-rate journalists operating out of the Pentagon, but all the, you know, Fox and New York Times, Washington Post, they’re all outside of the Pentagon,” the lawmaker said.
He added, “And then we have rules that the base, we have military bases in our districts, they’re not allowed to talk to us because of, you know, his orders to them not to talk to anybody in Congress unless the actual questions have been vetted through the Pentagon first.”
Bacon is not the only GOP lawmaker to question Hegseth’s moves, and several have called on the Defense secretary to provide more information on the legality of the boat attacks. Others have pressed the Pentagon chief to step aside.
Despite the criticism, the Defense Department has continued launching strikes on boats and “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean. President Trump and the White House have also pushed back on the need for congressional approval in its war on drug cartels.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Leave a Reply