Contributor: The drumbeat against Hegseth? It's not really about him

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth finds himself nether occurrence again — this clip from governmental skeptics oregon foes crossed the governmental spectrum. But conscionable arsenic the lawsuit was during the caller statesmanlike modulation period, erstwhile Trump opponents resuscitated the discredited 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh/Christine Blasey Ford playbook successful an effort to derail Hegseth’s nomination, the stakes present are overmuch higher than Hegseth’s occupation information helming the Pentagon.

When helium was up for the nomination, Democrats and galore successful the media went all-in successful an effort to destruct Hegseth. Like the anti-Kavanaugh run successful September 2018, erstwhile the then-pending Supreme Court nominee was accused of everything from intersexual battle to pack rape (and denied the claims), the caller anti-Hegseth cognition accused the two-time Bronze Star-decorated seasoned of recurring alcoholism, having a ruinous Bill Clinton-esque libido and, yes, sexual assault (he has besides denied the claims). But the concerted effort to descend Hegseth’s information was not really astir Hegseth. It was an effort to chum the waters, show Trumpian vulnerability and sabotage the incoming medication earlier it adjacent took office. Thankfully, the cynical effort failed. And subject recruitment, possibly Hegseth’s azygous astir important Day 1 priority, has already greatly benefited.

Fast-forward a bit. Hegseth was 1 of the main Trump medication officials caught successful the crosshairs of past month’s “Signalgate” radical chat controversy, which saw delicate subject accusation astir the United States’ onslaught plans connected the Yemen-based Houthi terrorists inexplicably delivered to the exertion successful main of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg. The contents of the leaked chat revealed a Trump medication that is internally divided connected matters of overseas argumentation — successful peculiar arsenic it pertains to Iran and its determination proxies, specified arsenic the Houthis. Iran doves and anti-Israel provocateurs tendentiously seized the accidental to effort to excise a convenient “hawkish” scalp — whether that beryllium Hegseth oregon nationalist information advisor Michael Waltz. But some Hegseth and Waltz kept their jobs.

Since Signalgate, determination person been 2 further Hegseth-related developments. Last Sunday, the New York Times reported that Hegseth had shared delicate accusation astir the Houthi onslaught plans successful a 2nd radical chat that included his woman and his brother, among others. Hegseth admitted to this 2nd chat’s beingness but claimed nary harm was done. Around the aforesaid time, 3 high-ranking Department of Defense officials — Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, longtime Hegseth person and confidante Dan Caldwell and the main of unit to the lawman defence secretary, Colin Carroll — were archetypal placed connected leave, and past fired, amid an ongoing Pentagon leak investigation.

The cashiering of Caldwell is notable due to the fact that of his narration with Hegseth. The dismissal suggests that Hegseth is committed to leaving nary chromatic unturned and is consenting to spell scorched-earth connected onetime allies if request be, to regain operational power of his leak-addled Pentagon. But the absorption to the firings, and Caldwell’s contiguous behaviour afterward, are highly telling. What the Pentagon firings aftermath reveals, successful short, is the aforesaid happening past month’s archetypal leaked Signal chat revealed: a Trump medication profoundly divided connected issues of overseas policy, particularly pertaining to Iran.

Caldwell, who has worked for assorted isolationist outfits, is an Iran dove. In the earliest days of the Biden administration, Caldwell adjacent went truthful acold arsenic to praise Robert Malley — Biden’s execrable prime for peculiar envoy to Iran, and antecedently the main American negotiator for President Obama’s 2015 Iran atomic deal. Shortly aft being fired from the Pentagon, Caldwell promptly went connected the fashionable amusement of the nation’s best-known Iran dove, Tucker Carlson — a antheral who conscionable referred to Iran hawks arsenic “enemies” of the United States — to archer his broadside of the story. Caldwell’s communicative was axenic victimhood: He argued that his Pentagon tenure threatened “established interests,” and helium dismissed leak accusations. Given that his aged state Hegseth fired him and is present recommending helium beryllium prosecuted, Caldwell’s communicative doesn’t walk the laughter test.

But the full saga is illuminating.

One indispensable wonderment wherefore galore expected allies of President Trump would determine to capitalize connected the reporting from the New York Times and effort to propulsion Hegseth nether the autobus astatine a susceptible moment. Shouldn’t “allies” person followed the pb of Vice President JD Vance and Trump himself and defended Hegseth to the hilt? Curt Mills of the mag the American Conservative said the quiescent portion retired loud: “The world is operational — Hegseth is conscionable not up to this.”

In different words, the Hegseth smear run continues, but present it takes connected a antithetic hue: The people this clip is each Iran hawks.

The backdrop for each this precocious drama, adding yet different twist to this elaborate puzzle, is the administration’s ongoing Iran atomic negotiations, which are led by Middle East peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff. Those negotiations volition resume this play successful Oman. Witkoff is simply a billionaire existent property capitalist with nary peculiar cognition of the Middle East. In 2023, Witkoff sold his Park Lane Hotel successful New York City to the Qatar Investment Authority for $623 million, and possibly not coincidentally, successful January 2025 helium went connected TV to praise Qatar for “doing God’s work.” In the Carlson interview, Caldwell referred to Witkoff arsenic a “godsend,” and Carlson hailed him arsenic an “instrument of peace.” Carlson, notably, precocious hosted the prime curate of Qatar and praised him for seeking to halt subject enactment against Qatar’s state and commercialized partner, Iran.

One starts to spot what is truly going connected here.

The bully quality is that Trump himself is clear-eyed connected matters pertaining to Iran. So too, it seems, is his caput of Defense. One indispensable frankincense reason that Hegseth’s detractors are expressing vexation that the president is not arsenic Iran-curious arsenic they are. That would explicate wherefore definite purported medication “allies” are yet again attempting to destruct Pete Hegseth.

Josh Hammer’s latest publication is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.” This nonfiction was produced successful collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer