logo
‘You're either feckless or complicit!' Hegseth refuses to say if Laura Loomer was consulted on General Haugh firing

‘You're either feckless or complicit!' Hegseth refuses to say if Laura Loomer was consulted on General Haugh firing

Independent18-06-2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was accused of being either 'feckless or complicit' for firing U.S. Cyber Command head Gen. Timothy Haugh at the urging of far-right activist Laura Loomer, a rabid supporter of Donald Trump who has the ear of the president.
Haugh, an Air Force general, was removed from his dual role in charge of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency back in April. Loomer, a social media influencer, claimed credit for the dismissal because Haugh wasn't considered sufficiently loyal to Trump.
Hegseth, appearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was asked by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) what, if any, part Loomer played in the decision to fire the general.
The defense secretary evaded an answer, saying he does not discuss who he has spoken to about such decisions, before telling the senator her time was up.
This provoked a furious response from Rosen, who fired back, 'It is not up to you to tell me when my time is up.
'You are either feckless or complicit. You're not in control of your department. I don't appreciate the smirk. Sir, you are the secretary of defense.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

U-turn as Trump administration agrees to keep Washington police chief in place
U-turn as Trump administration agrees to keep Washington police chief in place

BreakingNews.ie

timea few seconds ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

U-turn as Trump administration agrees to keep Washington police chief in place

The Trump administration has reversed course and agreed to leave the Washington DC police chief in control of the department. Meanwhile, attorney general Pam Bondi, in a new memo, directed the district's police to co-operate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. Advertisement The order came after officials in the nation's capital sued on Friday to block President Donald Trump's takeover of the capital's police. Donald Trump (Jae C Hong/AP) The night before, his administration had escalated its intervention into the city's law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department, essentially placing the police force under full control of the federal government. The attorney general's new order represents a partial retreat for the Trump administration in the face of intense scepticism from a judge over the legality of Ms Bondi's earlier directive, but she also signalled the administration would continue to pressure DC leaders to help federal authorities aggressively pursue immigrants in the country illegally, despite city laws that limit co-operation between police and immigration authorities. In a social media post on Friday evening, Ms Bondi criticised DC attorney general Brian Schwalb, saying he 'continues to oppose our efforts to improve public safety', but she added: 'We remain committed to working closely with Mayor Bowser.' Advertisement Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said late on Friday that it was still evaluating how it can comply with the new Bondi order on immigration enforcement operations. The police department had already eased some restrictions on co-operating with federal officials facilitating Mr Trump's mass deportation campaign but reaffirmed that it would follow the district's sanctuary city laws. In a letter sent on Friday night to DC citizens, Ms Bowser wrote: 'It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across DC has created waves of anxiety.' Attorney general Pam Bondi (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) She added that 'our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now', but added that if Washingtonians stick together, 'we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy – even when we don't have full access to it'. The legal battle was the latest evidence of the escalating tensions in a mostly Democratic city that now has its police department largely under the control of the Republican president's administration. Mr Trump's takeover is historic, yet it had played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week. Advertisement As the weekend approached, signs across the city — from the streets to the legal system — suggested a deepening crisis over who controls the city's immigration and policing policies, the district's right to govern itself and daily life for the millions of people who live and work in the metro area. The two sides sparred in court for hours Friday before US District Judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing the district's lawsuit. She indicated the law is not likely to grant the Trump administration power to fully take over city police, but it probably gives the president more power than the city might like. 'The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control,' said Judge Reyes, who was nominated to the bench by Joe Biden. The judge pushed the two sides to make a compromise. A lawyer for the Trump administration, Yaakov Roth, said the move to sideline Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith came after an immigration order that still held back some aid to federal authorities. He argued that the president has broad authority to determine what kind of help police in Washington must provide. Advertisement Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) The police takeover is the latest move by Trump to test the limits of his legal authorities to carry out his agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to bolster his tough-on-crime message and his plans to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. It also marks one of the most sweeping assertions of federal authority over a local government in modern times. While Washington has grappled with spikes in violence and visible homelessness, the city's homicide rate ranks below those of several other major US cities, and the capital is not in the throes of the public safety collapse the Trump administration has portrayed. The president has more power over the nation's capital than other cities, but DC has elected its own mayor and city council since the Home Rule Act was signed in 1973. Mr Trump is the first president to exert control over the city's police force since it was passed. The law limits that control to 30 days without congressional approval, though Mr Trump has suggested he would seek to extend it. Advertisement Ms Bondi's Thursday night directive to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, in charge of the police department came after Ms Smith had told officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop. The Justice Department said Ms Bondi disagreed with the police chief's instructions because they allowed for continued practice of 'sanctuary policies', which generally limit co-operation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers.

Trump and Putin leave Alaska with no deal reached in Ukraine talks
Trump and Putin leave Alaska with no deal reached in Ukraine talks

BBC News

timea few seconds ago

  • BBC News

Trump and Putin leave Alaska with no deal reached in Ukraine talks

US President Donald Trump has left Alaska without a deal to end the war in Ukraine, following a high-stakes meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. "There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump told the world's media following the meeting, adding that "great progress" was made but "we didn't get there".On his flight back to Washington he held a call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who later said he would travel to Washington on Monday. European leaders were also on the the fanfare around the summit - and Trump's confidence in being able to achieve a ceasefire - no tangible progress was made towards a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Every stage of the leaders' arrival at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage was carefully who is facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, stepped off his jet and onto a red carpet to be warmly greeted by the roar of a B2 bomber overhead, the two leaders posed for photos before climbing in Trump's presidential vehicle, known as The despite the pageantry and public shows of geniality - as well as the Kremlin's earlier estimate that the meeting could last six or seven hours - Trump and Putin emerged less than three hours later with just a joint statement to the press. Putin said that, in order to make a "settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict" in Ukraine. The phrase indicated that Putin has not budged from his longstanding position that Ukraine should withdraw from four regions partially occupied by Russia - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - and give up its efforts to join the Nato military has ruled out retreating from the four embattled region, warning that would leave the door open for an emboldened Russia to mount another offensive in the future. Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, after annexing the Crimean peninsula in also urged Ukrainians and Europeans to "not throw a wrench" into the peace process. Trump remained silent as his guest spent about eight minutes addressing the being given the floor, the US president said he had a "fantastic relationship with President Putin. Vladimir," switching to the Russian leader's first though "many points were agreed to", he said, "a few" remain, adding that "one is the most significant" - without specifying what that key sticking point was. Neither took two also did not attend the planned bilateral "working lunch" that was set to follow the talks. ANALYSIS: What summit means for Trump, Putin and UkraineWATCH: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded in 82 secondsVISUALS: The war-ravaged Ukrainian territories in mapsIN PICTURES: Trump rolls out the red carpet for Putin An interview on Fox News after the meeting offered few additional meeting went "very well", Trump told host Sean Hannity, adding "maybe we'll have a good result".Heading into the Alaska meeting, Trump had threatened "very severe consequences" if his Russian counterpart did not agree to end the war. In July, he said he'd impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia's remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached within 50 questioned on Fox News over where the meeting left those threats, Trump said: "We don't have to think about it today.""Maybe in two weeks, three weeks," he said, "but the meeting went very well."Asked about a possible trilateral summit including Zelensky, Trump said: "They both want me there and I'll be there," without giving a date or location for absent from the Alaska meeting was the Ukrainian leader who, like Putin, has elicited a range of reactions from Trump since he returned to the Oval two had a lengthy call on the flight back to Washington DC, before other Nato leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joined the said he would travel to Washington on Monday to meet Trump, and that he supported Trump's proposal for a trilateral noted "positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine's security" - something European allies have called for as part of a combined effort to prevent another conflict. Those in Ukraine may breathe a sigh of relief that no deal that would cede territory to Russia had been they may also be alarmed that Putin continued to use rhetoric that seeks to justify the original objective of the invasion - to dismantle Ukraine as an independent state.

Trump speaks with Zelenskiy, NATO leaders after summit with Putin
Trump speaks with Zelenskiy, NATO leaders after summit with Putin

Reuters

timea few seconds ago

  • Reuters

Trump speaks with Zelenskiy, NATO leaders after summit with Putin

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Donald Trump held a lengthy phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and subsequently spoke to NATO leaders after the U.S. president's Friday summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said. Trump held the calls on his way back to Washington, landing in the early hours of Saturday morning. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was among those on the call, in which Trump briefed European leaders about the summit, von der Leyen's spokesperson said. A NATO official said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also took part, while the Elysee confirmed French President Emmanuel Macron's participation. Leaders from Germany, Finland, Poland, Italy and Britain also joined the call, according to the European Commission. Axios reporter Barak Ravid said, citing a source, that Trump spoke for more than an hour and a half with Zelenskiy and European leaders. Zelenskiy later said he would travel to Washington on Monday. The highly anticipated summit in Alaska yielded no agreement to resolve or pause Russia's war in Ukraine, although both Trump and Putin described the talks as productive before heading home. During a brief appearance before the media following the nearly three-hour meeting in Alaska, the two leaders said they had made progress on unspecified issues. But they offered no details and took no questions. Trump also did not take questions when he landed in the United States at Joint Base Andrews. During his presidential campaign and upon taking office, Trump had vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 but has thus far failed to deliver on that promise.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store