‘It’s just Bush league’: Pete Hegseth’s credibility in tatters as GOP senators are the latest to abandon him, leaving only this one person responsible for him

Republican senators are openly expressing confusion and frustration with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and they insist his future in the cabinet rests solely with President Trump, according to The Hill. While many GOP lawmakers are trying hard not to publicly criticize Hegseth, whom President Trump strongly backed during the difficult confirmation process in January, they are certainly not vouching for him either.

Senators are keeping their distance from the growing list of controversies that have plagued Hegseth’s tenure, but some are clearly fed up with the mistakes. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is one of the most outspoken critics, saying some of the secretary’s moves have left him completely confused. Tillis didn’t mince words about Hegseth’s actions, calling them “just bush league.” He explained that when you are the secretary of Defense for the United States of America, “Precision is important.”

One major issue Tillis cited was Hegseth’s tendency to make “snap statements” that later proved false or inaccurate. This happened last week when Hegseth dismissed a bombshell Washington Post report as “fake news.” The report stated that the Navy had launched a follow-up missile strike on two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a suspected Venezuelan drug boat.

The pressure on Hegseth is mounting, and it’s all in Trump’s hands now

The White House confirmed that a follow-up strike did take place to eliminate the survivors. Tillis slammed Hegseth for this, saying, “I believe that when there were reports that there was a so-called double-tap. There was some reporting that [Hegseth] said it was either fake news or not true. The next day, it proved to be true.” Tillis stated that Hegseth needs to “get the data” before speaking and shouldn’t “undermine your credibility.”

The latest bombshell hit Capitol Hill when the Department of Defense’s inspector general shared a report with the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hegseth used Signal, a commercial messaging app, to share sensitive military operational information in a chat group that inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine. Tillis believes Hegseth should have taken more responsibility for sharing classified information outside of authorized channels. “You just got to own it,” he said.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who cast a pivotal vote to advance Hegseth’s nomination, summed up the situation by calling his tenure “bumpy.” She said, “I have confidence in the Congress,” deferring the accountability to the oversight committees. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), however, broke ranks with his Republican colleagues, demanding that Hegseth testify under oath about the orders given regarding follow-up strikes. Paul said, “I think he should testify under oath about the orders that were given.”

Despite this “lot of frustration” within the Senate GOP conference, as one anonymous Republican senator noted, Hegseth does have a few things going for him. The senator pointed out that Hegseth is focusing on a “war-fighting machine” and military recruitment is up under his leadership.

Ultimately, Republican leadership is making it clear that the final decision rests with the president. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) twice declined to say he had full confidence in Hegseth, stating instead that the secretary of Defense “serves at the pleasure of the president.” Other Republicans, like Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), echoed this sentiment, saying, “It’s really a question for the president.”