CT delegation members calls for Pete Hegseth to resign or be fired over scandals
Multiple members of Connecticut's congressional delegation are calling for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign or be fired amid controversies involving air strikes on Venezuelan boats and the sharing of classified information through a messaging app.
In recent days, Hegseth has faced scrutiny about the use of military force in the Caribbean Sea after a special operations team reportedly attacked survivors of a strike on an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela, in what some legal experts consider a clear violation of the laws of armed conflict.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon watchdog determined Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants.
The combination has led both of Connecticut's U.S. Senators and most of the state's U.S. House members, all Democrats, to call for Hegseth's job.
"He should resign or be fired," Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in an interview Thursday. "He is ultimately responsible for not only the second strike on that virtually destroyed boat, killing two individuals who were in effect out of the fight, which were murders or war crimes, but he is also accountable for the entire series of strikes on the boats that were destroyed, along with more than 80 deaths."
Hegseth's sharing of classified information on Signal, Blumenthal said, is "simply is one more powerful reason for him to be fired or resign."
Rep. Jim Himes, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was part of a group of lawmakers permitted to see unedited footage of the second strike on the Venezuelan boat, which he called "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service."
Himes told CNN on Thursday morning that Hegseth "does not have either the character or the disposition to have the position that he holds."
Since becoming defense secretary under President Donald Trump, Hegseth has vowed to bring a "warrior culture" to the U.S. government’s most powerful and expensive department, from rebranding it as the Department of War to essentially discarding the rules that govern how soldiers conduct themselves when lives are on the line.
Under Hegseth, the U.S. military has repeatedly attacked boats off the coast of Venezuela, killing more than 80 people alleged to be transporting drugs. While the Trump administration has described these men as narco-terrorists and cartel members, the Associated Press reports many were local laborers or fishermen seeking to make additional money.
In an instance that has spawned particular controversy, the military in September conducted a second strike on an alleged drug boat, killing people who had survived the initial attack.
Hegseth has defended the second strike as emerging in the "fog of war," saying during a Cabinet meeting this week at the White House that he didn’t see any survivors but also "didn’t stick around" for the rest of the mission.
As for the sharing of classified documents on Signal, Hegseth reportedly told the Pentagon's inspector general he was permitted to declassify information as he saw fit and shared only details he thought would not endanger the mission. A Pentagon spokesperson called the inspector general's report a "TOTAL exoneration" of Hegseth.
Still, a growing number of lawmakers — mostly Democrats but also some Republicans — have slammed Hegseth this week, with some calling on the former Fox News host to step aside.
That includes most of Connecticut's congressional delegation. In a video posted to social media this week, Sen. Chris Murphy called for Hegseth to resign or be fired, describing him as a "walking, talking national security embarrassment."
In a statement Wednesday, Rep. John Larson cited the air strikes, Hegseth's sharing of classified documents in a Signal chat, his efforts to halt weapons transfers to Ukraine and his agency's denial of press credentials for some major media outlets.
"Secretary Hegseth needs to resign," Larson said. "Presiding over an illegal second strike in the Caribbean Sea is the last straw. He is either uninformed about military operations, or he is willfully lying to the American people to evade accountability."
Blumenthal further criticized Hegseth for "complete secrecy and lack of disclosure" surrounding the strikes, calling for him to appear at public hearings on the subject.
Rep. Joe Courtney focused on the Signal controversy, telling CT Insider in a statement that "any member of the military, particularly in leadership, who shared the same information that Secretary Hegseth did in an unsecure chat would be court martialed and discharged."
"Secretary Hegseth needs to take accountability and resign, or the President needs to take accountability and fire him," Courtney said.
A spokesperson for Rep. Rosa DeLauro noted that the congresswoman called for Hegseth to be fired when the Signal scandal first broke in March. A spokesperson for Rep. Jahana Hayes did not respond to a request for comment.
Hegseth, who had previously served as a Fox News host, was confirmed as Secretary of Defense in January after Vice President J.D. Vance broke a 50-50 tie in the U.S. Senate. Three Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against his confirmation.