Capital Hill unhappy with Pete Hegseth's mid-war firings

WASHINGTON — Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) harshly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following his firing of Navy Secretary John Phelan without explanation, while U.S. warships actively blockade Iranian ports.

Ryan, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, described Hegseth as having thin skin, a "joke", and a "performance artist" that military officers don't take seriously.

“It's more score settling. The revenge tour. In the middle of a war. In the middle of a naval blockade," he lamented to Raw Story.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, also expressed concern amid the sudden changes, pointing out the Armed Services Committee received no advance notice and pledged to investigate the firings.

"So it's very disturbing. We're going to obviously be pressing to get information about why this is happening and what is the basis for these firings," Crow told Raw Story.

Since Trump's return, the chair of the Joint Chiefs, the chief of naval operations, the Coast Guard commandant, and the Defense Intelligence Agency director have all been removed.

Phelan, a billionaire Trump donor who clashed with Hegseth, questioned whether Trump authorized his firing before it was confirmed by White House officials.

Ryan warned the firings would harm troops and Americans at the gas pump, amid $500 billion in new defense spending.

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