The hosts of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” reacted Wednesday to the ongoing behind-the-scenes issues at Stars and Stripes, with Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joining to declare that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is “afraid” the publication will reveal just how “incompetent” he is.
The senator’s remarks come just days after the Pentagon fired three Stars and Stripes staff members over purported “insubordination,” after they spoke out against the Department of Defense’s overhaul of the military newspaper. Among the staffers fired were publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
Gallego, a combat veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps, said that the firings are all part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to control the newspaper’s writings, going all the way back to President Trump’s first term.
“[Stars and Stripes] is one of the few places that is actually keeping in check the Department of Defense, and that is what scares them,” Gallego explained. “The reason why I’m involved is because I’m the one who authored the bill to actually protect Stars and Stripes, because [the Trump administration] knows anything that is going to keep them in check is a threat to them.”
“Stars and Stripes has expertise that Pete Hegseth doesn’t have, and the last thing they want is somebody to actually point out how incompetent the Secretary of War is and how dumb this president is in the context of this war [in Iran],” he added.
Gallego was subsequently asked whether or not he believes the Trump administration is purposely obscuring the number of U.S. military casualties sustained during America’s ongoing war with Iran. The Arizona official did not mince words in response.
“It just tells you about the mentality of this president,” he observed. “I’m not sure he’s actually hiding the numbers because he’s afraid of the public perception of the war. He’s hiding the numbers because he’s afraid of the public perception of him. He doesn’t want to be known as someone that lost ‘more troops than Joe Biden’ or whatever comparison he wants. Because this is all about ego. It’s not about our national security.”
“This is the worst situation we could have,” Gallego concluded. “Now, they’re trying to take out the one publication that could clearly cut through the line and really give us a perspective of the service member, something that’s been important for us, was important for me during the Iraq War and has been for generations for so many military service members.”
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