Hawaii Senator Is Convinced Pete Hegseth Personally Plans To Help Trump Storm Greenland

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) launched a bizarre line of questioning during Tuesday morning’s Armed Forces Committee hearing, suggesting that she believed Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth — a decorated Army veteran — was ready to mount up and use military force to take over Greenland on day one.

Hirono referenced recent claims by President-elect Donald Trump about the strategic value of Greenland—currently controlled by Denmark—and whether or not he would move to put it under the United States’ control. Her interpretation of the president-elect’s remarks and similar comments about control of the Panama Canal appeared to be that Trump was ready to send in the troops immediately.

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“Would you use the — our military — to take over Greenland or an ally… Denmark?” Hirono asked.

“Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand,” Hegseth responded, noting that Trump was notorious for not telling anyone exactly what he planned to do despite any signals he might send leading up to such action.

“And so I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the president could give me in any context,” he continued.

“So that sounds to me like you are contemplating carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal,” Hirono responded.

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Hirono also referenced an off-the-cuff remark that former Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed that Trump made during the 2020 George Floyd protests, during which Secret Service agents and Capitol Police were attacked in the vicinity of the White House as they stood to protect it: “Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?”

Esper, in his memoir, criticized Trump’s comment and suggested he’d refused the “order” to take action. “The good news — this wasn’t a difficult decision. The bad news — I had to figure out a way to walk Trump back without creating the mess I was trying to avoid.”

Hirono turned to Hegseth then, quoting Esper’s words as gospel: “In June of 2020, then-President Trump directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs in downtown D.C. An order Secretary Esper refused to comply with. Would you carry out such an order from President Trump?”

“Senator, I was in the Washington DC National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events carrying a riot shield on behalf of my country,” Hegseth replied.

“Would you carry out an order to shoot protesters in the legs as directed to by the president?” Hirono asked again.

“I saw 50 Secret Service agents get injured by rioters, trying to jump over the fence, set the church on fire and destroy it,” Hegseth said.

“You know what? That sounds to me that you will comply with such an order. You will shoot protesters in the leg,” Hirono concluded by cutting him off and substituting her own response instead.

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