Oh, the irony. Senator Mazie Hirono really wanted to impress upon people that Pete Hegseth got drunk occasionally in the past. Apparently, Hirono thought the best way to deliver that message was to model what being drunk on the job actually looks and sounds like.
Not that Hirono was actually drunk, mind you. But the Hawaii Democrat certainly did a good impression of it, slurring her way through questions like this while apparently not recognizing the answers.
What is this line of questioning from Sen. Mazie Hirono? pic.twitter.com/dnqD4p9nkS
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 14, 2025
What was the point that Hirono expected to make here? If previous drinking was disqualifying for public office, we would have a Senate consisting of ... Mitt Romney. And not even Romney now, since he's retired. As for "drinking on the job" being disqualifying, that more or less speaks for itself, especially these days. It's been a long time since the Mad Men era of the three-martini lunch, which was on its way out by the time I began working for a defense contractor in the mid-1980s.
And then it gets even more bizarre:
Sen. Mazie Hirono's unhinged questioning of Pete Hegseth continues. pic.twitter.com/YDJQCCeNjk
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 14, 2025
Was Hirono even aware that Hegseth had been on the scene at the time as an active duty officer? It seems doubtful, and based on this interaction, she still may be unaware. Hirono goes on with her running commentary with blissful unawareness of anything Hegseth has to say, which prompts the question of why Hirono bothered to ask questions at all. It's not a requirement; they can use their time to monologue and vent honestly rather than pretend to ask questions. Or pretend to have standards, for that matter.
Hirono then went on to demand an answer from Hegseth about Donald Trump's plans for Greenland and the Panama Canal, which at least are somewhat on point. However, as Hegseth explained, those policies aren't his call:
🚨 BREAKING: Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) accuses Pete Hegseth of planning to use the military to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 14, 2025
Lmao.
HIRONO: Would you use the military to take over Greenland or an ally?
HEGSETH: Trump never strategically tips his hand. I would… pic.twitter.com/36a5Y88ZXv
“Would you use our military to take over Greenland or an ally of Denmark?” Hirono asked Hegseth.
Hegseth responded, “Senators, one of the things President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand. I would never in this public forum, give one way or another what orders the president gives me in any context.”
Hirono said it sounded like the answer was in the affirmative.
“That sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal,” she said.
Perhaps Hirono needs to review the Constitution and the War Powers Act (WPA). Congress invested the president with that authority in the latter, and the former makes the president commander of the armed forces. Hegseth would be an inferior officer in that chain of command. If Trump found it necessary to use armed force at any point in the world, the order would not be illegal to carry out as long as Trump acted within his authority. Congress could intervene to stop it if it desired to do so, but Congress ceded that authority decades ago in the WPA in order to avoid responsibility for the use of military force.
In other words, this line of questioning is even more ignorant than the rest of Hirono's tiresome efforts. It wouldn't be Hegseth using the military; it would be Trump. If the order is lawful, Hegseth would be required to carry it out. Hegseth could resign if he opposed that policy, and the policy issues might be worth discussing, but not in the context of refusing to carry out a lawful order.
It's tough to get much dumber than this, or much more hypocritical either. Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin had a big laugh at the expense of Senate Democrats and their hypocritical huffiness in the middle of this hearing, bring a smile to Hegseth's face:
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 14, 2025
This was the best Democrats could do, apparently. And Ben Shapiro summed it up best:
I didn't think that I could support @PeteHegseth any more than I already did for SecDef. Then the Democrats started talking.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 14, 2025
The latest episode of The Ed Morrissey Show podcast is now up! Today's show features:
- Just what will be Joe Biden's legacy?
- Andrew Malcolm and I debate that in light of the election and especially in relation to Donald Trump's sudden upswing in popularity.
- Plus: How has that impacted the confirmation process for Trump's Cabinet appointments?
The Ed Morrissey Show is now a fully downloadable and streamable show at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the TEMS Podcast YouTube channel, and on Rumble and our own in-house portal at the #TEMS page!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member