Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
FIRST ON FOX: A Democratic senator admitted Tuesday that he would support the defense secretary Lloyd Austin’s confirmation again if the vote was held today despite the many controversial actions of Austin and repeatedly Trump’s nominee for SecDef, Pete Hegseth, for his qualifications earlier in the day.
“Would you vote for Lloyd Austin if there was a vote on him today?” Fox News Digital asked Blumenthal on Tuesday.
“I would support General Austin for Secretary of Defense,” Blumenthal replied. “I did when he was nominated. He would support Secretary Mattis who was appointed by President Trump during his first term. I would not support this candidate because (Hegseth) lacks the financial management skills, character and confidence, as well as the moral compass.”
During the hearing, Blumenthal told Hegseth, “I don’t think you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them. I would support you as the Pentagon spokesman. I don’t dispute that. your communication skills, but I think we’re entitled to the facts here.”
TEAM TRUMP BACK AFTER SENATOR DEM SAYS ‘THE FIGHT HAS JUST BEGIN’
Sen. Blumenthal grilled SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing and later admitted that he would once again support Lloyd Austin, President Biden’s defense secretary. (Getty Images)
Austin has been widely criticized by conservatives, as well as some Democrats, for presiding over the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as several other perceived mistakes during his tenure, including a situation in which he was forced to apologize directly to President Biden for not informing him that he was hospitalized.
“Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin oversaw the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, let the Chinese advance rapidly to catch up with our defense capabilities, went MIA for days leaving the Pentagon without a leader , prioritized DEI policies over defense needs and allowed Biden’s appeasement policy.” GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson published in X on tuesday “We need a DECISIVE leader who can focus the Department of Defense on its mission to protect America. We need Pete Hegseth.”
Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., an Army veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, unsuccessfully delivered articles of impeachment against Austin in 2023, blame him for a “recruitment shortage of over 25,000” and saying there were “8,400 people who were unconstitutionally purged from the military … you have pronouns and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) being taught in the our military academies when we should be focusing on what the next threat is and how we mitigate it.”
“Not only do I think you should have resigned … I see this as a dereliction of duty myself, and I take it very seriously,” Mills told Austin during the hearing before explaining what he believed to be being Austin’s failures during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. . “Political optics took precedence over real military strategy, where we should have held Bagram Air Base, the detention center … not closing and trapping the Americans taking HKIA (Hamid Karazai International Airport ), commercial airspace and abandoning thousands of Americans.
BIDEN’S ‘POLITICAL’ AFGHANISTAN STRATEGY TOOK OUR CREDIBILITY, ARMY VETO SAYS AS HEARINGS START
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, speaks during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))
Conservatives on social media also raised controversy beginning in 2010, when Blumenthal first ran for the Senate, where he suggested on several occasions that he had served in Vietnam when he had not. Blumenthal, who received several deferments before serving in the Marine Corps. reservation, in short recognized that he had “spoken” about his history, but described those cases as few and far between.
“Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who lied about serving in Vietnam to get elected, reprimanding combat vet Pete Hegseth is a little hard to take,” said Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich. published in X on tuesday
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
US Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speaks during a press conference (MANDEL I/AFP via Getty Images)
“Reminder: Sen. Blumenthal lied his entire adult life about fighting a war he didn’t fight,” said Fox News contributor Guy Benson. published in X.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sen. Blumenthal argued that Tuesday’s hearing was about Hegseth’s record, not his own.
“The people of Connecticut have always been clear about my record of military service, which is why I was overwhelmingly elected three times to the United States Senate,” Blumenthal said. “This hearing was about Pete Hegseth’s record of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and financial mismanagement that showed he was unqualified and unprepared to command 3.4 million Americans who protect the safety of our nation.”
Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed reporting.
