Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling and Ben Parker opened the weekly "Command Post" podcast for The Bulwark with the recent speech from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about his pending impeachment in the House of Representatives.
"You can really tell how cornered he feels," Parker said, opening the show. Reports said an aide of Hegseth's told the press that if they shouted questions, they'd be physically dragged from the room.
Hegseth's speech alleges that somehow his impeachment has nothing to do with him and that it's really an attack on the military itself.
"Let me tear that apart real quick," Hertling began. "You're getting my ire up immediately. First of all, no one is accusing sailors and soldiers of illegal activity. They are actually suggesting that there were illegal orders given. And here's the point: You know, he also made the comment that these were operations ordered by the president and then ordered by [him]. That's the way the chain of command works."
He warned that presidential orders can lead to unlawful actions if the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the defense secretary fail to intervene. Their failure to push back against potential war crimes or other illegal conduct can carry consequences. That issue is the basis for one of the articles of impeachment in Rep. Tom Massie’s (R-Ky.) legislation.
"So, there's some dysfunction in describing that," Hertling continued. "And that particular clip sets the stage for a lot more dysfunctional descriptions that the secretary used during this entire press conference. But make no mistake about it, I have not seen, personally, and maybe you can correct me on this, I have not seen one news organization, one pundit on TV, one self-described critic say that the soldiers and sailors are doing anything wrong."
The issue, he explained, is that lawmakers are concerned about how the wars are being conducted and what those sailors and soldiers are being asked to do.
Parker said that it has been a tactic of Hegseth's to "constantly hide behind the people in uniform."
"Cowers behind them," said Hertling. "He doesn't hide, he cowers behind them."
"Absolutely!" agreed Parker. "One who cowers is a coward. Whenever he feels like he's politically in trouble, he says, 'Well, it's not me they're after! It's the troops!' No, it's not! No, it's not! It's you! It's just you, man."
He went on to say that if the orders handed down by the president and Hegseth are illegal, then military members have a duty to disobey them. But as it stands now, that isn't even part of the conversation. It is only focused on Hegseth.
"Ugh, the cowering behind people below him, beneath him in the chain of command, it's just — it's despicable," Parker added.
The comment was one of many problems that Hertling and Parker had with Hegseth's defense.
