Rep. Pat Ryan Criticizes Pete Hegseth as Def Sec: Very Concerned

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) told Morning Joe he was “very concerned” about the president-elect Donald Trump nominee now former Fox News host Piet Hegseth as Minister of Defense.

Tuesday night, Trump shocked the political media world when he named the former Army National Guard infantry officer and Ivy League graduate turned Fox News host and bestselling author, as Minister of Defense to sit in his cabinet for this second term. Even Hegseth’s Fox & Friends were colleagues overwhelmed by the announcement.

Ryan is a graduate of West Point and serves on the House Armed Services Committee. During a Wednesday Morning Joe appearance, co-host Jonathan Lemire said, “You’re a veteran. You are also on the Armed Services Committee. So we want to hear your reaction to Donald Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon. Most recently, of course, he was the host of Fox News.”

Lemire then asked bluntly, “Do you believe he is qualified to lead the Department of Defense?”

“This is an incredibly serious time in the world,” Rep. Ryan responded. “It is an incredibly serious government position. And I don’t think Hegseth is a serious person and a serious choice. And sadly, it’s not surprising that Trump dodged a draft five times, calling our troops suckers and losers, insulting gold star families and honor recipients, and trampling on the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery.

“I’m not surprised he chose a Fox News host instead of someone who will understand the gravity of the moment,” he added. “I’m very concerned about what this means because we’ve seen reports of it even today The Wall Street Journal, talk about executive orders that are essentially military purges and tests of political purity, when our military has always been apolitical, nonpartisan patriots. No political-military.”

“That is a very dangerous path that we could go down, and as far as the armed forces are concerned, I will be incredibly focused on the Armed Services Committee to ensure that we do not go down that path,” he concluded.

Watch above via MSNBC.

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