‘An amateur person’: GOP Rep. Bacon states Hegseth ought to leave
The Nebraska lawmaker stands out as the first House Republican to suggest that the president dismiss the secretary of Defense.
TroibNews 
Rep. Don Bacon, a notable Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee, became the first sitting GOP lawmaker to suggest on Monday that President Donald Trump should consider firing Pete Hegseth. Bacon cited the turmoil at the Pentagon as a factor contributing to the private unease many Republicans had regarding Hegseth's nomination as Defense Secretary from the outset.
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” Bacon, a former Air Force general who chairs the subcommittee on cyber issues, said in an interview. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.”
The Nebraska representative stated that while he felt it wasn’t his position to call for Hegseth’s resignation, he would not tolerate mismanagement if he were in the Oval Office.
“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” Bacon remarked, referencing a New York Times report indicating that Hegseth shared sensitive military operation details in a private Signal chat that included family members and his personal lawyer. This incident marks the second time officials have been reported using an unclassified messaging platform for sensitive discussions.
“I’m not in the White House, and I’m not going to tell the White House how to manage this ... but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge," Bacon added.
Bacon expressed particular concern over Hegseth’s choice to use a private device or Signal for sharing classified information, noting the significant interest among foreign adversaries in hacking the phones of top government officials.
“Russia and China put up thousands of people to monitor all these phone calls at the very top, and the No. 1 target besides the president ... would be the secretary of Defense,” Bacon stated. “Russia and China are all over his phone, and for him to be putting secret stuff on his phone is not right. He’s acting like he’s above the law — and that shows an amateur person.”
Bacon’s remarks come in the context of a series of high-profile firings, public disputes, and issues over the management of sensitive information within the administration, highlighting apparent dysfunction specifically within the Pentagon.
His criticism also follows comments from former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned last week and held Hegseth accountable for creating chaos in the department in a PMG Magazine opinion piece released Sunday night.
“It looks like there’s a meltdown going on,” Bacon commented. “There’s a lot — a lot — of smoke coming out of the Pentagon, and I got to believe there’s some fire there somewhere.”
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” Bacon, a former Air Force general who chairs the subcommittee on cyber issues, said in an interview. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.”
The Nebraska representative stated that while he felt it wasn’t his position to call for Hegseth’s resignation, he would not tolerate mismanagement if he were in the Oval Office.
“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” Bacon remarked, referencing a New York Times report indicating that Hegseth shared sensitive military operation details in a private Signal chat that included family members and his personal lawyer. This incident marks the second time officials have been reported using an unclassified messaging platform for sensitive discussions.
“I’m not in the White House, and I’m not going to tell the White House how to manage this ... but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge," Bacon added.
Bacon expressed particular concern over Hegseth’s choice to use a private device or Signal for sharing classified information, noting the significant interest among foreign adversaries in hacking the phones of top government officials.
“Russia and China put up thousands of people to monitor all these phone calls at the very top, and the No. 1 target besides the president ... would be the secretary of Defense,” Bacon stated. “Russia and China are all over his phone, and for him to be putting secret stuff on his phone is not right. He’s acting like he’s above the law — and that shows an amateur person.”
Bacon’s remarks come in the context of a series of high-profile firings, public disputes, and issues over the management of sensitive information within the administration, highlighting apparent dysfunction specifically within the Pentagon.
His criticism also follows comments from former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned last week and held Hegseth accountable for creating chaos in the department in a PMG Magazine opinion piece released Sunday night.
“It looks like there’s a meltdown going on,” Bacon commented. “There’s a lot — a lot — of smoke coming out of the Pentagon, and I got to believe there’s some fire there somewhere.”
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
