Republican Senators are now realizing how big a mistake they made by confirming a person without the right qualifications to be the Secretary of Defense.Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) recently posted on social media a strong and embarrassing criticism of Pete Hegseth.Tillis’s harsh words about the unqualified military leader are especially powerful because he was one of the Republicans who supported his confirmation.
Tillis wrote on X, “I have never seen more poor management of the brave men and women who serve our country.” He said Hegseth is scared of people who are good at their jobs and instead focuses on creating culture wars, rather than properly handling national defense and the well-being of the military.
It’s strange that Tillis ever thought Hegseth would be able to handle anything “soberly,” but it’s a fair expectation for someone in charge of the world’s strongest military before Hegseth came in.
Tillis’s anger was clearly fueled by the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who had been in conflict with Hegseth over the removal of respected senior officers.
Tillis called Driscoll “the right man at the right time” to lead Soldiers and Army civilians and pointed out who was really responsible for pushing him out: “I urge the president to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will keep and support our military talent rather than weaken it.”
Tillis explained the full extent of the purge, accusing Hegseth of creating a leadership crisis by firing respected officers like General Chris Donahue, a top Army commander in Europe and former Delta Force leader; General CQ Brown Jr., former Joint Chiefs Chairman; Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s first female top officer; General David Allvin, Air Force Chief of Staff; and General James Mingus, Army Vice Chief.
It’s also ironic to note what these officers were actually working on.
Tillis praised Driscoll and General Randy George, who Hegseth allegedly fired for investigating an unauthorized helicopter flyby of Kid Rock’s estate, for leading the Army’s shift toward using drones, based on what Ukraine has learned in battle.Their replacement, General Chris LaNeve, has already stopped an experimental drone project in Europe.
This all makes people wonder if any of these officials are secretly getting money from Vladimir Putin through foreign bank accounts to weaken American forces.
Even Republican Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) expressed disappointment over Driscoll’s resignation: “I was disappointed.
I think he’s been a pretty solid guy.” Rounds mentioned that the US has been watching Ukraine’s drone developments since 2021 and warned against giving up on that progress now.
When members of Hegseth’s own party, including the senator who voted to confirm him, are publicly calling for his removal over poor performance and his focus on culture wars, it’s not just political noise.
It’s a clear and serious warning from within the party.
We hope enough Republican Senators follow Tillis in condemning Hegseth and push Donald Trump to take action.
For now, though, we won’t be holding our breath.
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