'Liar' Hegseth faces 'immediate' resignation demand from growing list of Dems
As Signalgate enters its third day and Pete Hegseth emerges as the central figure in what experts warn may be a serious—and possibly illegal—breach of classified information protocols, House and Senate Democrats are coalescing around a single goal: building the case while calling for the immediate resignation, or firing, of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Politico‘s national security correspondent Robbie Gramer reports that “multiple White House insiders and GOP Congressional staffers argued to me that the reason this is turning into a scandal is because of Hegesth’s comments in the groupchat — not [Mike] Waltz for setting the groupchat up.”
“They said,” he added, “the real concern is what Hegseth said, and the sensitive information on Yemen strike plans that Hegseth volunteered without prompting in the groupchat.”
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During Wednesday’s House Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) blasted the 18 Trump administration national security officials who participated in the Signal group chat, during which Secretary Hegseth reportedly shared classified information in an insecure environment.
Making his case for Hegseth’s immediate resignation, Congressman Crow got confirmation that both the National Security Agency and the Pentagon had issued warnings about the use of Signal and the vulnerabilities surrounding it. DNI Tulsi Gabbard admitted to Crow that she was part of the Signal text chain, along with lead Russia negotiator Steve Witkoff, who was in Moscow during the chat and possibly using a personal phone, which he has denied.
“I deployed three times to combat in service to this nation,” Crow said, during the end of his remarks (video below). “I learned in that time in service that responsibility is core to leadership. You accept responsibility when things go wrong, you admit mistakes, you set the standard from the very top.”
“It is completely outrageous to me, completely outrageous to me the administration officials come before us today with impunity. No acceptance of responsibility. Excuse after excuse after excuse while we send our men and women down range to do incredibly difficult, incredibly dangerous things on our behalf. And yet, nobody is willing to come to us and say, ‘this was wrong, this was a breach of security and we won’t do it again.'”
“It is outrageous and it is a leadership failure and that’s why Secretary Hegseth, who undoubtedly transmitted classified sensitive operational information via this chain, must resign immediately. There can be no fixes, there can be no corrections until there is accountability, and I’m calling on the administration to move forward with accountability.”
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, blasted Hegseth’s claim that he shared no classified information in the Signal chat: “Pete Hegseth is a f—— liar. This is so clearly classified info he recklessly leaked that could’ve gotten our pilots killed. He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.”
Conservative commentator Bill Kristol of The Bulwark remarked, “Prediction: Hegseth gone by Friday.”
NCRM has complied a very partial list of congressional Democrats who are calling for Secretary Hegseth’s resignation, or his firing. (Links go to their video or statement.)
House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA)
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ)
U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA)
Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY)
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA)
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA)
U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT)
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), says Hegseth “should be fired.”
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Watch the video below or at this link.