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Posted on 06/12/2025 12:20:48 PM PDT by Kazan
Republican senators lashed into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday over the Trump administration’s effort to end the Ukraine war by drawing in Russia, thrusting a glaring ideological divide within the party into public view.
Sen. Mitch McConnell — one of three Republicans to oppose Hegseth’s confirmation — led the criticism at a Senate budget hearing. “America’s reputation is on the line,” the Kentucky Republican said. “Will we defend democratic allies against authoritarian aggressors?”
The former Senate majority leader — who now chairs the panel that controls defense funding — leveled some of his strongest warnings yet at the Pentagon chief during the hearing, which took a more adversarial tone than Tuesday’s House counterpart. Hegseth, who came out largely unscathed the day before, endured interrogations from both parties on President Donald Trump’s strategy to end the conflict.
The exchange between McConnell and Hegseth offered a rare high-profile window into the Republican party’s widening foreign policy gap. McConnell voiced a Reagan-era international view of American leadership, while Hegseth articulated a more restraint-oriented, America First approach favored by many of Trump’s allies. “We don’t want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses,” McConnell told Hegseth. “That’s extremely important if we’re going to continue to play the role in the world that the vast majority of members of Congress think we should still play.”
McConnell posed several questions to the Pentagon chief about the three-year-old conflict. When he asked who was the aggressor, Hegseth replied, “Russia is the aggressor.”
But when questioned over which side he wants to win, Hegseth sidestepped and said only that Trump is committed to peace. He placed the blame instead on the Biden and Obama administrations for mishandling Russia and slow walking aid, noting that Putin seized Crimea and launched a full invasion of Ukraine during those presidencies.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top Trump ally, pressed Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would stop his expansion efforts with Ukraine, if he proved successful. The pair split over the possibility.
“I don’t believe he is,” going to stop, Caine said. Hegseth said it “remains to be seen.”
Graham shot back: “Well, he says he’s not. This is the ‘30s all over. It doesn’t remain to be seen.”
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Hegseth defended the administration’s approach, framing a U.S.-negotiated peace as a strength and acknowledging that any settlement will leave “plenty of people on both sides” unhappy.
“The alternative of endless war that is largely funded by the United States and fought by Ukrainians, for which the Russians have unlimited resources to continue to pour in, does not make sense strategically for the United States,” he said.
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Why do you post Politico crap?
Please, will someone show this corrupt, old pig the door?
The GOP neocons are despicable.
Politico? There’s NOT ONE conservative on staff... It would be like taking advice on race from a group that had never had ONE black person on staff for... for.. forever.
“””Please, will someone show this corrupt, old pig the door?”
He couldn’t find the door. And if he did he would forget why he was there.
““Will we defend democratic allies against authoritarian aggressors?””
Ukraine is not our “Ally”.
Russia did nothing to the US, or other NATO Allies.
As soon as I saw McConnell was heading this, I stopped reading.
As soon as I saw McConnell was heading this, I stopped reading.
No, their reputations are on the line. Not America’s.
Most Americans couldn’t care less about Ukraine.
America’s reputation is on the line. When we get deeply involved in forever wars, our reputation goes into the toilet and there are a million unintended negative consequences.
Utter bullcrap.
Politico does regular Ob-Gyn exams on Linda Graham, however, Ukraine remains GloboHomoPedoNazi regardless of the “materiel” that Politico gets from Graham and publishes.
Right, the ones who want to help Ukraine defend itself from a Russian invasion are the war pigs, not the Russians who want to conquer Ukraine. But I guess for some, the Russians can do no wrong.
“The GOP neocons are despicable.”
It’s readily apparent the CIA has these neocons by the balls.
Mitch & Murk of course
This should tell all the Pro-War FR members all they need to know.
Polutico promotes Turtle and Linda in pushing more money to Ukraine.
They’ve got all of Congress and much of DC by the balls.
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