While speaking on the Senate ground on Thursday, Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. , offered a withering operation of the advertising media’s disgusting attempts to reservoir Pete Hegseth’s protection secretary nomination.
“Despite Pete’s requirements, the popular media, determined to undermine President Trump and his nominations, has gone after Pete’s figure by airing false and unsubstantiated claims, ” Hagerty said.
The Tennessee Republican’s comment came in response to the business press’s latest round of struck pieces against Hegseth.
On Tuesday, NBC News reported on an oath from Hegseth’s past sister-in-law Danielle Diettrich Hegseth, who claimed without proof that Pete engaged in intimidating do that left his next ex-wife Samantha Hegseth wary for her “safety. ” It is only after visitors get to the seventh paragraph of the article that they are informed that Samantha denies the claims.
In his Senate floor talk, Hagerty highlighted how The New York Times article on the non-troversy declined to discuss Samantha’s denial in its title and how readers may learn more than a hundred paragraphs into the story to learn the truth.
“This is n’t news. … This is a hit-job, ” Hagerty said. “The New York Times consciously ran with a lurid and falsified accounts, buried the facts, and distorted the headline simply to destroy President Trump and his nominee. ”
The Volunteer State Republican noted how many other left-wing outlets seeking to annihilate Hegseth’s assurance immediately regurgitated the account with the same selfish 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, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
