Trump Witnesses Clobbered on Live TV from Cross-Exam

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The MeidasTouch Podcast 21 min 6 speakers 4 chapters transcribed 4 hours ago
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How did Senator Slotkin challenge Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on military orders?

Elissa Slotkin 0:00
He had more guts and balls than you because he said I'm not gonna send in the uniformed military to do something that I know and my gut isn't right.
Ben Meiselas 0:07
That was Democratic Senator Slotkin cross examining Secretary of Defense Pete Hegsith and telling him you don't have any balls, you pathetic, vile human being, you Democrats were not holding back at all. Let me show you that full exchange when Democratic Senator Slotkin looks at Hegsith and tells him that he does not have balls. Play this clip.
Elissa Slotkin 0:30
Giving that order to your predecessor, to a Republican Secretary of Defense, who I give a lot of credit to because he didn't accept the order. He had more guts and balls than you because he said I'm not gonna send in the uniformed military to do something that I know and my gut isn't right. He was asked to shoot at their legs. He wrote that in his book. That's not hearsay.
Ben Meiselas 0:50
Here was another part of that incredible cross examination by Democratic Senator Slotkin. Let's play it.
Elissa Slotkin 0:55
They can arrest all day long, that's the job. Do they have the ability, the uniform military, to arrest and detain protesters currently today?
Pete Hegseth 1:04
Um I
Elissa Slotkin 1:06
It's a yes or no thing, authority. It's
Pete Hegseth 1:07
sort of it's sort of amusing the extent to which the speculation is out there. These troops are given very clear orders. Then what is the
Elissa Slotkin 1:14
order? Then list it out for us. Be a man, list it out. It's all did you authorize them to detain or arrest? That is a fundamental issue of democracy. I'm I'm not trying to be a snot here. I'm just trying to get the actual did you authorize them to do that?
Pete Hegseth 1:29
All of these orders and their and what they're sent there to do are public. They are the
Elissa Slotkin 1:34
yes or no?
Pete Hegseth 1:36
I'd like to.
Elissa Slotkin 1:37
Please, yes or no. As I've
Pete Hegseth 1:39
said time and time again through interruption, they're there to protect law enforcement. Do they have the ability to arrest the people? So they
Elissa Slotkin 1:50
cannot arrest and detain citizens of the United States, the uniform military. As we've
Pete Hegseth 1:54
stated, if necessary in their own self-defense, they could temporarily detain and hand over to ICE. But there's no arresting going on. And you know this better than if you're trying to play political games.
Elissa Slotkin 2:15
to investigate people participating in these protests, yes or no?
Pete Hegseth 2:21
Certainly in no way that I'd be aware of.
Elissa Slotkin 2:22
Okay, that's good. I love that answer. That's great. Have you given
Ben Meiselas 2:26
next you have Democratic Senator Harono, and here she's cross-examining Pete Hegsif and she asks, if ordered by the president to shoot peaceful protesters in the legs, would you carry it out? I think as Julia Davis says, can you just answer no? But notice that Hegseth refuses to answer here play this clip.
Unknown 2:48
If ordered by the president, I'm gonna ask you once again, to shoot peaceful protesters in the legs, would you carry out such an order from the president?
Pete Hegseth 2:59
Senator, as I've said before, of course I reject the premise of your question and the characterization that I would be given or are given on lawful orders. It's all meant to attempt to smear the commander in chief.

Did Hegseth admit the military can arrest or detain protesters?

Unknown 3:14
In his first term actually ordered such a thing? It is not a premise that you can reject. He can order it do the same thing. So you're again, oh I think you would just follow what the president wants you to do. Let's face it.
Ben Meiselas 3:27
Next up you have Democratic Senator Tim Kane. Here he uh uh is cross-examining Pete Hegsith about changing the name of American military bases back to the names of Confederate traitors. And Senator Kane has the family members, the descendants of some of the people who the bases are now named after, who are going to have their names removed to bring back in the Confederate traitors. Play this clip.
Tim Kaine 3:56
Civil War. Why did you decide that these four Patriots were not worthy enough to have their names on a base?
Pete Hegseth 4:04
Well, Senator, as you know, this was never about the names of the bases they were renamed to. So you so you don't so you don't challenge the worthy bases, restoring all bases to their original names, not about erasing. Okay,
Tim Kaine 4:16
you wanted to you don't care about their military record. You wanted to restore the Confederate names. When you called the Gregg family to tell them that you were their dad's name was no longer gonna be on the base, what was their reaction?

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