While speaking on the Senate floor on Thursday, Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., offered a scathing takedown of the propaganda media’s disgusting attempts to tank Pete Hegseth’s defense secretary nomination.
“Despite Pete’s qualifications, the mainstream media, desperate to derail President Trump and his nominees, has gone after Pete’s character by airing false and unsubstantiated claims,” Hagerty said.
The Tennessee Republican’s remarks came in response to the corporate press’s latest round of hit pieces against Hegseth.
On Tuesday, NBC News reported on an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law Danielle Diettrich Hegseth, who claimed without evidence that Pete engaged in threatening conduct that left his second ex-wife Samantha Hegseth fearful for her “safety.” It is only after readers get to the ninth paragraph of the article that they are informed that Samantha denies the allegations.
In his Senate floor speech, Hagerty highlighted how The New York Times article on the non-troversy declined to mention Samantha’s denial in its headline and how readers must read more than a dozen paragraphs into the story to learn the truth.
“This isn’t journalism. … This is a hit-job,” Hagerty said. “The New York Times intentionally ran with a salacious and debunked account, buried the truth, and distorted the lede simply to undermine President Trump and his nominee.”
The Volunteer State Republican noted how numerous other left-wing outlets seeking to nuke Hegseth’s confirmation quickly regurgitated the story with the same dishonest framing.
“The American people are sick and tired of the deception stemming from this alliance between the Democrat Party and the so-called ‘mainstream media,’” Hagerty said. “This is yet another example of a story published with an aim to do harm, and despite evidence to the contrary. It’s why media has lost much of its credibility with the American people who see this article for what it is: a desperate, last-minute attempt to generate controversy where none exist[s].”
Hagerty’s comments came shortly after the Senate voted to invoke cloture on Hegseth’s nomination, teeing up a final confirmation vote for Friday evening. The procedural vote tally was 51-49, with GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine siding with Democrats in opposition.
Both Collins and Murkowski announced on Thursday that they will not be supporting Hegseth’s confirmation. Hegseth requires support from at least 50 senators to be confirmed as defense secretary.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood