{"id":2377507,"date":"2024-12-07T15:55:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T20:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/afghanistan-evacuation-veterans-defend-hegseth-in-nomination-battle\/"},"modified":"2024-12-07T15:55:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T20:55:39","slug":"afghanistan-evacuation-veterans-defend-hegseth-in-nomination-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/afghanistan-evacuation-veterans-defend-hegseth-in-nomination-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghanistan evacuation veterans defend Hegseth in nomination battle"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fafghanistan-evacuation-veterans-defend-hegseth-in-nomination-battle%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2377507&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A\u2064 group of \u200cveterans who were instrumental in the private \u2064evacuation\u2063 of over 17,000 individuals from Afghanistan\u2063 during the Taliban takeover in 2021 have publicly defended Pete Hegseth, who has been nominated by\u2062 President-elect Donald Trump for the \u2062position of Secretary of Defense. This nomination has faced notable scrutiny, especially regarding its potential passage through the Senate. Notably,\u200d former Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux has\u2062 voiced\u2063 strong support for Hegseth, criticizing senators who approved current Defense \u200bSecretary Lloyd Austin but are hesitant to back Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>Robichaux highlighted \u2063a growing movement of support for Hegseth within the military community, noting that many service members, typically indifferent\u2063 to political matters, are actively advocating for him. He praised Hegseth for his\u2064 leadership qualities and ability to connect with\u200d service members, contrasting him with higher-ranking generals\u2062 who may be perceived as disconnected \u200bfrom the troops. Other\u200c supporters, including Rep. \u200cCory Mills,echoed these sentiments,emphasizing Hegseth&#8217;s combat experience and educational background as essential qualifications for the role. the narrative \u200dsuggests a push \u2064from military veterans for Hegseth&#8217;s confirmation amidst criticisms of current Defense leadership.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Afghanistan withdrawal veterans defend Hegseth in nomination battle, denounce Austin<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1905691\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A group of veterans who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-california-agree-to-pay-more-churches-in-settlements-over-lockdown-discrimination\/\" title=\"Newsom, California Agree To Pay More Churches In Settlements Over Lockdown Discrimination\">played key roles<\/a> in the private evacuation of thousands of Americans from Afghanistan in 2021 spoke out in defense of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Pete Hegseth\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump's\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s defense secretary pick.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination has come under heavy scrutiny, putting into question the viability of him passing the Senate. Several leading veterans have come to his defense, including former Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3177509\/what-maga-gop-will-look-like-post-donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>WHAT MAGA AND THE GOP WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POST-TRUMP ERA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pete Hegseth, center right, President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s nominee to be defense secretary, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, arrives to meet with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Robichaux&rsquo;s and his team evacuated over 17,000 people in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, an act <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/1420544\/retired-mma-champ-honored-by-congress-for-saving-17000-from-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"recognized\">recognized<\/a> by Congress. In an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, he threw his full support behind Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>He took particular aim at senators hesitant on voting for his confirmation, hitting them for not being hesitant when confirming current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3220510\/how-trump-could-impact-pentagon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>HOW TRUMP COULD IMPACT THE PENTAGON<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the same Senate that&rsquo;s saying that [Hegseth] maybe had a few too many drinks, or whatever he did, is the same one that was silent when [Austin] left Americans behind, and when I say left Americans behind &mdash; thousands of Americans behind, in Afghanistan, when he left thousands of Americans stranded in Africa when he left thousands of Americans stranded in Ukraine,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Robichaux said that he had seen a groundswell of support for Hegseth, among groups previously apolitical.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is a huge push from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">military<\/a>. Well, I&rsquo;ve never seen this before,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been around the military for 30 years. I&rsquo;ve never seen [people] in the Marine Corps for four years, putting on social media who they want to be their secretary of defense. Most of the time, they don&rsquo;t even know who their secretary of defense is.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everyone wants him in, mainly because he doesn&rsquo;t have a star,&rdquo; Robichaux said, referring to generals&rsquo; stars. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3113298\/biden-administration-congress-and-unions-try-to-trump-proof-science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, CONGRESS, AND UNIONS TRY TO &lsquo;TRUMP-PROOF SCIENCE&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He argued that generals were too separated from the regular troops to carry out their mission effectively, and that soldiers preferred one of their own.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Pete doesn&rsquo;t have to doesn&rsquo;t have to have lead at a strategic level. He doesn&rsquo;t have to have a star. He&rsquo;s a leader. He&rsquo;s he&rsquo;s got the right vision,&rdquo; Robichaux said. &ldquo;And when he sits in this situation room and the nation needs him to make a decision, he&rsquo;s not going to do it in a silo.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be surrounded by the right people to make the right decision, to do their jobs, and that&rsquo;s very important for the American people to understand. He&rsquo;s not a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fox-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Fox News<\/a> host. He&rsquo;s a guy that served his country and in combat twice, Iraq and Afghanistan,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) echoed this sentiment, praising Hegseth&rsquo;s qualifications while bashing Austin.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Pete Hegseth is exactly the kind of leader we need as Secretary of Defense. He&rsquo;s a combat veteran who&rsquo;s led men in battle, holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard, and has the courage to take on the root causes of our military recruitment crisis, like the destructive and divisive focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/3154138\/trump-no-tax-overtime-proposal-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRUMP&rsquo;S &lsquo;NO TAXES ON OVERTIME&rsquo; PROPOSAL: WHAT TO KNOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mills put the full blame of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan on Austin, over which he filed articles of impeachment against him.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I filed articles of impeachment against Austin for his dereliction of duty because leadership matters. When Austin failed to do his job, veterans like myself who stepped in to rescue American families left behind. Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s leadership, integrity, and experience are exactly what this nation needs to restore accountability and strength to the Department of Defense,&rdquo; he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Benghazi contractor&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/2952182\/former-nfl-player-jack-brewer-joins-forces-benghazi-hero-rescue-americans-trapped-in-haiti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title='Mark \"Oz\" Geist'>Mark &ldquo;Oz&rdquo; Geist<\/a> also lent his support to Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As a warfighter, Pete Hegseth stands out because he gets what it takes to win on the battlefield&mdash;he&rsquo;s lived it. His firsthand experience in Iraq and Afghanistan means he understands the realities of combat, the importance of morale, and the need for a lethal, well-trained force ready to fight and win,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Geist contrasted Hegseth to Austin, arguing that Austin&rsquo;s focus had been on &ldquo;bureaucracy and social agendas&rdquo; to the detriment of combat effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He knows that strength, clarity of purpose, and a no-nonsense approach are what it takes to dominate any adversary, making him a leader who would ensure the military is always ready for the next fight,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped out as Trump&rsquo;s attorney general nomination, the primary target of scrutiny landed on Hegseth. Reports emerged of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">past sexual assault allegations<\/a>, financial mismanagement, and a drinking on the job. On Sunday the&nbsp;<em>New Yorker<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/news-desk\/pete-hegseths-secret-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published<\/a>&nbsp;an article based on a whistleblower&rsquo;s seven<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-considering-desantis-as-defense-secretary-report-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump considering DeSantis as defense secretary: Report - Washington Examiner\">-page report detailing numerous allegations<\/a> against Hegseth while he served as the president of Concerned Veterans for America from 2013 to 2016. <\/p>\n<p>He&rsquo;s pushed against the allegations, but promised Senators that he wouldn&rsquo;t drink if confirmed for the post. Trump&rsquo;s team has publicly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3248254\/trump-team-united-front-pete-hegseth-despite-growing-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stood by<\/a>&nbsp;him, decrying the accusations as false and politically motivated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1905691\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1905691\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Veterans support Hegseth&#8217;s nomination, criticize Austin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2377508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hegseth-veterans.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7228,17713,45173,4873],"class_list":["post-2377507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-afghanistan","tag-evacuation","tag-hegseth","tag-veterans"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hegseth-veterans.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2377507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2377507"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2377507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2377511,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2377507\/revisions\/2377511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2377508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2377507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2377507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2377507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}