Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced sharp criticism from Senate Democrats Wednesday over two highly controversial Trump administration decisions: alleged protest suppression and the restoration of Confederate military base names.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) rebuked Hegseth for not rejecting orders during immigration protests in Los Angeles. Referring to former Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s refusal to shoot protesters in 2020, Slotkin said, “He had more guts and balls than you.” Hegseth did not directly answer whether he approved use of force against unarmed protesters, instead stating, “I’d be careful of what you read in books — except for the Bible.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and other lawmakers condemned Hegseth’s decision to restore base names tied to Confederate leaders. Bases like Fort Liberty and Fort Gregg-Adams will revert to Fort Bragg and Fort Lee, replacing names honoring military heroes like WWII Medal of Honor recipient Van Barfoot and abolitionist Mary Edwards Walker.
“You don’t care about their military record,” Kaine charged. “You wanted to restore the Confederate names.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat veteran, added, “I’d rather be associated with Mike Novosel than a failed Confederate traitor.” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) praised the restoration as a return to tradition, calling 2020 renamings a product of “Jacobin fever.”
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