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Trump Responds to GOP Chair of Armed Services Committee Calling Hegseth’s Speech a ‘Rookie Mistake’
mediaite ^ | Feb 14 | Sarah Rumpf

Posted on 02/16/2025 11:06:28 PM PST by RandFan

President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter Friday about Sen. Roger Wicker’s (R-MS) comments criticizing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech about Ukraine as a “rookie mistake,” and replied he had not heard about it.

Hegseth’s remarks at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels Wednesday — his first visit to NATO headquarters — raised eyebrows when he said that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO or return to its borders before the Russian invasion. These comments were criticized for yielding key negotiation points before the talks had even begun, and Hegseth soon walked them back.

Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, shepherded the confirmation hearings for Hegseth’s nomination to lead DOD. He was asked about the new Defense Secretary’s comments at the Munich Security Conference. The Mississippi senator replied that he was “surprised” by Hegseth’s remarks.

Hegseth “made a rookie mistake in Brussels,” said Wicker. “I don’t know who wrote the speech — it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool,” referring to the former Fox News host who has frequently bashed U.S. support for Ukraine

(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Conspiracy
KEYWORDS: hegseth; mississippi; petehegseth; rogerwicker; sarahrumpf; tucker; tuckercarlson; wicker
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To: RandFan

Another candidate to be primaried out.


21 posted on 02/17/2025 1:32:09 AM PST by HighSierra5 (The only way you know a commie is lying is when they open their pieholes.)
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To: nathanbedford

4 level chess back channel? People stop dying on both sides? Damn that’s a novel idea. For what the American taxpayer has shelled out we could’ve bought Greenland by now. American soldiers and sailors have died all over Europe for them, this time, they can cover their own ass. We got our own problems.


22 posted on 02/17/2025 1:57:53 AM PST by Equine1952
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To: dfwgator

Right, I liked the speech


23 posted on 02/17/2025 2:08:46 AM PST by SMARTY (In politics, stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon Bonaparte I)
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To: nathanbedford
Unless, he wants to forestall Ukraine and Europe from staking out positions that will interfere with his deal or, at least interfere with his intended negotiating path.

Trump already knows the fools in Europe and U will try to interfere with the negotiations because they have already opened their mouths. Rather than give Trump options they try tell him what to do and how to do it their way.

Trump knows they started this war and has a good idea how to end it. They told Putin he had to limit his oil and Natural gas sales and he told them where to shove it.

My guess is that Trump has some way for them to be able to sell their oil and natural gas in a way that does not feed their military machine. He has already hinted with an MFN flag. I suspect he has other options that they would be fools to pass up.

Similarly, I suspect, he has things in mind that U wants and needs as well. Security for one so they can begin to recover, and some means to recover safely (without US Troops just as Trump said). He knows they wish to be the breadbasket again. I suspect he has options for them they would be fools to pass up as well

Will Russian oil and natural gas flow through U to the Europeans at a high volume again? I doubt it at least for a few years. After all, there are consequences for stupidity especially when folks clearly have not understood the lesson as is in this case.

If the standard positions would have worked they would have worked already. Biden would have already claimed credit for ending the war. And that would be that as they say.

Instead, Biden gave Trump a Vietnam. Now the question is whether Trump can stop this "Vietnam" from going for another four years into another Administration.

Fortunately, Trump is not your typical administration. After all, not only he did write "The Art of the Deal". But IMHO holds Trump cards at the ready and according to his name.

24 posted on 02/17/2025 2:17:55 AM PST by CptnObvious
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To: dfwgator
Normally I would agree that Hegseths’s comments were a bad way to open negotiations but this is the Ukraine we are talking about.

With the Ukraine, however, Hegseths’s comments may be the only way to open negotiations.

The Biden Administration, the EU and Zelensky have turned the Ukraine conflict into a forever war that they long since lost but simply cannot afford to lose.

In fact, many of the EU and US politicians and decision makers who have driven the war are so invested init’s continuation that their only option is to escalate rather than capitulate. Sen. Roger Wicker is one of these guilty politicians who are responsible for the war with it's 1.6 million dead or dying and the destruction of much of the Ukraine.

They would rather see the US and EU become embroiled in a direct military conflict with Russia that spreads into WWIII than accept a Trump imposed peace in Ukraine on terms worse than those that Russia offered 3 years and that they rejected.

They have actively been in the process of doing just that for the last 8 months. Hegseth's comments are much needed because they state the basic reality that everyone needs to acknowledge before negotiations can even begin.

Ukraine has become the war that must never be allowed to end and those that started it cannot allow it to end because of the damage that it will do to them personally. They will have to be forced to do so and Hegseth's comments are the start of this painful process

Peace in Ukraine will definitely cost Zelensky his job and there will probably large electoral losses for the EU and the end of many political careers pols when the truth that Ukraine that they have been hiding finally comes out.

These politicians who started and who have driven the war need to get kicked out of the negotiations in order for the negotiations to get kicked off.

25 posted on 02/17/2025 3:08:17 AM PST by rdcbn1 (TV )
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To: Equine1952

It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t. This administration so far has been one of the most open and transparent ones ever assembled. Honesty and candor are deep set, but also subject to condemnation from either Democrats or RINOs - and let’s not forget the legacy media of whom MAGA made the biggest fools.


26 posted on 02/17/2025 3:12:36 AM PST by Gaffer (r)
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To: Equine1952

We need to get out of NATO. Europe is gone. We are defending what will soon be Nazi regimes.. No free speech, no political recourse. We think the Russians are bad? Germans are arresting their citizens for posting cartoons online.


27 posted on 02/17/2025 3:20:34 AM PST by freedomjusticeruleoflaw (Strange that a man with his wealth would fhave to resort to prostitution.)
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To: nathanbedford

Ukraine getting NATO membership is only a wet dream of Zeepers. Akin to Mexico joining military pact with Russia or China with their military weapons including nukes stationed in Mexico.


28 posted on 02/17/2025 3:33:16 AM PST by Bobbyvotes (I am in mid-80's and I am not gonna change my opinions.)
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To: Equine1952

True. I think that’s what Pete pointed out to them.
___________________________
Stating the obvious is hardly conceding a bargaining chip. It’s just a cheap shot by Wicker.


29 posted on 02/17/2025 3:41:37 AM PST by iontheball
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To: RandFan

The most important point that everyone here is missing is that the US essentially told the Euro’s that the US did not have enough resources to continue its “big dog” role in NATO, due to US’ concerns in the Pacific.

This is disastrous in Europe, not because the Euro’s can’t afford more defense spending, but because it ensures a future breakup of what Euro unity exists now, new smaller alliances, even heavier arming than Trump’s “5%”, and eventually a war in Europe that will most likely make WW2 look like a walk in the flower garden. (Modern weapons’ lethality and likely, nukes involved.) The history here is NOT ambiguous.

However, even more concerning is what it tells us about the future regarding China. It is very clear Trump’s defense and National Security team expect a major conflict with China. :-(


30 posted on 02/17/2025 4:06:28 AM PST by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: RandFan

Wicker is Deep State.


31 posted on 02/17/2025 4:12:01 AM PST by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away!)
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To: Paul R.

I’m betting that laundered Anerican taxpayer money has been keeping Europe’s welfare states afloat for years, possibly decades.

This isn’t about Ukraine or Russia.

It’s about Europe going toes up now that Trump has cut off Europe’s cash flow from American cash cows.


32 posted on 02/17/2025 4:14:51 AM PST by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away!)
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To: House Atreides

If anyone here ever read a Donald Sutherland political position article, they would never watch another Donald Sutherland movie. He was just as bad if not worse than Jane Fonda


33 posted on 02/17/2025 4:15:38 AM PST by Clutch Martin ("The dawn cracks hard like a bull whip and it ain't taking no lip from the night before" Tom Waits)
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To: CptnObvious

Z-Man has no choice. If he concedes too much, his own Nationalists will put his head on a pike.

The Nationalists have no choice, either. Ukraine has been repeatedly raped, for over a century. Their choice is to let that happen again, or fight, regardless of the odds.

I’d fight.

Wimps’ mileage may vary.


34 posted on 02/17/2025 4:20:46 AM PST by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: Clutch Martin

He plays a good idiot in films for a reason.
He doesn’t have to act.


35 posted on 02/17/2025 4:25:58 AM PST by GranTorino (Bloody Lips Save Ships)
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To: nathanbedford
Hegseth was absolutely acting under express instructions of the President

If you listen to General Kellog, it is obvious that Trump is negotiating a lot more than just a cease fire in Ukraine with Russia.

Trump is trying to unwind the very damaging to America's national security alliances that Russia has made with Iran, North Korea and China as a result of the Ukraine war and possibly build a mutually beneficial alliance between the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia that keeps Iran, China and North Korea down and oil up. These are the real bargaining chips in Trumps emerging geo political vision and the status of the Ukraine is just one component of a much larger deal.

Trump is set on unwinding the Ukraine disaster on America's terms and in Americas interests and those of the Ukrainian people and not on the terms of the EU and Democrat carpetbaggers who want to buy up and control the Ukraine's distressed assets they have created for their personal gain.

36 posted on 02/17/2025 4:33:01 AM PST by rdcbn1 (TV )
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To: rdcbn1
That could be one of the most insightful posts this year and one of the most fortunate if it proves true.


37 posted on 02/17/2025 4:54:42 AM PST by nathanbedford (Attack, repeat, attack! - Bull Halsey)
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To: RandFan

I suppose Speaker Johnson can replace him as Chair of that committee...? We can’t afford to have flies in the ointment when trying to save the country.


38 posted on 02/17/2025 5:13:57 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: Equine1952

Between Hegseth and Vance, we’re getting a bold strong start in this term.


39 posted on 02/17/2025 5:14:54 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: RandFan

I remember some of the Zeepers here telling us that Ukraine would NEVER get into NATO...so why aren’t they here defending Hegseth, or Trump for that matter?


40 posted on 02/17/2025 5:41:31 AM PST by BobL
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