RUTHLESS

Hegseth Torched for Treating Troops Like ‘Toy Soldiers’

Critics say it’s time he leaves the sandbox.

Pete Hegseth’s troubles are on public display.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro ripped the secretary of defense Sunday morning, accusing him of making America “less safe.”

“I would just tell you, from my perspective, he is completely incompetent. He’s like an eight-year-old playing with toy soldiers every day,” Shapiro, 53, said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.

“He is someone who I think is making America less safe, and there has to be real accountability.”

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Shapiro’s remark comes after Democrats have comfortably seized control of the House of Representatives and Senate on Tuesday, widely seen as a referendum on Trump and his war on Iran.

The president is now reportedly weighing whether to fire Hegseth and pin the blame on him for the disastrous war he launched with Israel on Feb. 28. Republicans in Congress are also reportedly seeking to blame Hegseth, arguing that he played a key role in persuading Trump to attack Iran despite lacking a clear plan or exit strategy.

At the same time, the incoming Congress seems eager to impeach Hegseth, forcing him to face accountability for questions around blowing up fishing boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and his conduct in the war.

“It does seem that there is a growing consensus amongst not just Democrats but Republicans as well in the current Congress, not even the new Congress, that his time as defense secretary should be up,” Shapiro told Kristen Welker.

Publicly, Trump has so far denied rumors of Hegseth’s potential firing, telling reporters on Wednesday that the former Fox News anchor was doing a “very good job.”

On Thursday, a defiant Hegseth released a combative video comparing himself to Trump, who faced impeachment twice during his first term.

“A disgruntled, defeated congressman along with all his Democrat allies has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly. Just like they tried against President Trump twice,” he said.

Many of those under Hegseth, however, appear eager for him to face a reckoning. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a non-profit, Nobel Prize-winning organization, reported it had received hundreds of calls from service members supporting Hegseth’s impeachment.

“I can tell you that what we’re seeing is a type of jubilation that I’ve not seen in at least about 10 years,” MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein told military.com. “I think it’s fair to say that the expectation from our clients is that they absolutely want to see Hegseth impeached.”

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Laura EspositoBreaking News Reporter

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