A mob of far-left agitators heckled U.S. Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth as he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee at a hearing Tuesday to confirm his nomination.
Sporting pink faux-military uniforms, they looked exactly how you'd expect:
Oh look! The China-funded Code Pink crazies are here to protest Pete Hegseth. Another reason to confirm Pete asap! pic.twitter.com/XL9V4N5b4f
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) January 14, 2025
Prior to the proceedings, members of the group CodePink, an anti-Israel instigator known for organizing pro-Hamas protests on Capitol Hill, jeered at President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon.
"No Hegseth. No Religious Extremist," said one of the signs brandished by the activists. "No Christian Jihad," another read.
An activist wore a button bearing a red "X" over the Jerusalem Cross. Hegseth has lambasted the mainstream media for maligning a Jerusalem Cross tattoo inked on his chest, calling the smear campaign "anti-Christian bigotry."
During his confirmation hearing, the leftist protestors disrupted Hegseth's opening remarks. At least three hecklers were thrown out of the hearing, and one of them had to literally be carried away.
"You are a misogynist!" an elderly man, claiming to be a Vietnam War veteran, yelled before being ejected out of the room by a U.S. Capitol Police officer. "Not only that, you are a Christian Zionist!" he shouted, as the cop physically picked him up.
Recommended
"You are a misogynist! Not only that, you are a Christian Zionist!"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 14, 2025
Protestor interrupts Pete Hegseth's opening statement at his confirmation hearing. pic.twitter.com/uXEEyGIt5c
When the outburst occurred, Hegseth was thanking all the U.S. troops. "All Americans, all warriors. This hearing is for you," Hegseth said. He thanked them "for figuratively and literally having my back."
Soon after, another heckler, dressed in a camouflage jacket, climbed onto a chair and shouted about Gaza. A third joined in. "40 years of illegal war!" the man cried. He, too, was removed.
Protestors continue to disrupt Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing. pic.twitter.com/yr6bcIEbw8
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 14, 2025
Committee chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said he saw a concerning "pattern" arising and warned that further interruptions would "not be tolerated" moving forward.
Wicker applauded the police officers for controlling the angry mob. "I want to thank the authorities for their swift reaction to that outburst and state that similar interruptions will be treated in like manner," Wicker said.
Later on, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) asked Hegseth if he considered himself a Christian Zionist. To which, Hegseth replied, "I am a Christian, and I robustly support the state of Israel."
COTTON: "Do you consider yourself a Christian Zionist?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 14, 2025
HEGSETH: "I am a Christian, and I robustly support the state of Israel." pic.twitter.com/bg08sACuVp
Cotton noted that CodePink is "a Communist China front group." The senator then recounted CodePink protesting Hegseth backing Israel's existential defense. "I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas," Hegseth affirmed.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member