Maddow: Hegseth Ran 2 Veterans Groups Into Ground Amid ALLEGATIONS Of Nepotism, Sexual Harassment...

Rachel Maddow: Both of them obviously honorable records of service, not equivalent, though. Um, I think you'd say in terms of demonstrated leadership experience, complex organizational management experience in particular, I mean, four star General Lloyd Austin had led like a whole war or, or two, and he had been chief of staff and then commander at CENTCOM just before being named as defense secretary. CENTCOM is the part of the US military that has as its area of responsibility the Middle East and Central Asia and South Asia. That was what he was in charge of, and that was his experience heading in to become defense secretary. That, who is that that's who has just left as defense secretary. The guy who has just arrived. Well, just before he was named as Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, he led uh one third of the famous curvy couch on the Fox and Friends Fox News channel weekend show. I have to say maybe that he led one fourth of the couch, not one third. I'm not totally sure how many hosts they have, but we could only find these pictures of him sharing with two, so maybe he' held down a third.

That said, um, prior to his time at the Fox News Channel, Mr. Hegseth also ran into the ground two small right wing Veterans groups amid allegations, which he denies of, um, wild financial mismanagement, nepotism, sexual harassment, public drunkenness, and even drinking on the job. For one of those organizations, an independent forensic accountant found evidence of gross financial mismanagement while Pete Hegseth was administering that organization. And so then they made him secretary of defense. Two guys, same job. And, you know maybe, maybe he got the job based on merit and, and demonstrated capability, or maybe it was some other factor, I don't know. Your call.

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Lloyd Austin was Secretary of Defense from 2021 to 2025 in the administration of President Joe Biden. If corrupt and senile Joe Biden chose him, then he must be a great choice. Warmonger Lloyd Austin was in charge of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Israel's war with Hamas, and more. Rachel thinks he did a great job with those wars. If everything she said about Hegseth were true, Trump would not have chosen him to be Secretary of Defense.