Tornado Alley (PROG)

[blackhawks]

Pete Hegseth Succumbed to Blackmail. He Can't Be Confirmed to DOD

Opinion (Newsweek of all places!)

I was surprised to see it coming from these sources.

https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-succumbed-blackmail-he-cant-confirmed-dod-opinion-2013704

By Greg Kelly
Marine Corps veteran, Newsmax host

Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, revealed his vulnerability to blackmail in a single damning statement. Asked by Megyn Kelly why he paid money to a woman accusing him of sexual assault, Hegseth responded, "I paid her because I had to—or at least I thought I did at the time. I had a great job at Fox and a wonderful marriage... It is not what I should have done, but I did it to protect that. I did it to protect my wife, I did it to protect my family, and I did it to protect my job. It was a negotiation purely to try to prevent that."

This is the essence of blackmail: coercion through exploitation. It's a dark and dangerous reality. And it disqualifies Hegseth from leading the Pentagon—or any national security role under longstanding federal policy.

National security regulations have been clear for decades: Individuals susceptible to coercion cannot hold sensitive positions. Executive Order 10450, signed in 1953 and still in effect, explicitly bars individuals with vulnerabilities—such as blackmail—from positions of national security. This principle is reinforced by Standard Form 86, the mandatory questionnaire for all national security roles, which screens for "vulnerability to exploitation and coercion."

Hegseth's admission aligns directly with these disqualifiers. He has already demonstrated a willingness to pay off his accuser, allegedly to protect his personal and professional life. As Secretary of Defense, his responsibilities would be infinitely more critical, and his adversaries exponentially more dangerous.


Text is up at pastebin if you don't want to see the other RWNJ posts promoted at Newsweek.

https://pastebin.com/raw/zGKjsR2X