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Dems grill Pentagon nominee Tata over past inflammatory remarks, calling Obama ‘terrorist leader’
Retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, President Trump’s pick for a top Pentagon post, came under fire at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday for past inflammatory remarks, including calling former President Barack Obama a «terrorist leader» and suggesting ex-CIA Director John Brennan deserved execution.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, called Tata’s record of political statements «disqualifying» and said his rhetoric was «not appropriate for a position of this significance.»
«I respect and appreciate your military service,» Reed said, «but your record of public statements and behavior toward individuals with whom you disagree politically is disqualifying.»
Tata, under questioning from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said he regretted the comments, calling them «out of character.»
HEGSETH ORDERS ‘HISTORIC’ REDUCTION OF GENERAL OFFICERS IN THE MILITARY
Anthony Tata, President Donald Trump’s nominee for undersecretary for personnel and readiness at the Department of Defense, disavowed his past remarks. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«I regret making those comments,» said Tata. «I have 45 years of solution-oriented leadership, that was out of character. I regret it. I can guarantee that I will be an apolitical leader.»
The retired Army general and former Trump administration official was nominated for a senior Pentagon role in 2020, but the Senate canceled his confirmation hearing at the last minute over similar concerns. Trump later appointed him to a civilian advisory role without Senate confirmation.
Tata’s post-military career includes stints as a school district official, North Carolina’s secretary of transportation, and a military thriller author.
After calling Obama a terrorist in 2018, Tata later wrote on X that he was «joking» and meant to criticize Obama for the Iran deal.
«I was joking! Of course it’s not a conspiracy theory. He did more to harm US vital interests and help Islamic countries than any president in history. The Iran deal alone is more than enough evidence of his drive to subvert US national interests to Islam and a globalist agenda.»
«Might be a time to pick your poison,» Tata had also replied on X to Brennan in a since-deleted post, accusing him of treason.
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Darin Selnick, his deputy chief of staff who had also been performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Selnick was one of three top aides Hegseth fired after a leak investigation and fights between the aides and his former chief of staff.
HEGSETH ORDERS SWEEPING ARMY OVERHAUL AND CONSOLIDATION AIMED AT COUNTERING CHINA AND GOLDEN DOME CAPABILITIES
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Darin Selnick, his deputy chief of staff who had also been performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Senators also pressed Tata on more recent social media posts, including a tweet suggesting military officers were engaged in «mutinous discussions» and another calling for senior defense officials appointed by President Joe Biden to be fired. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., asked whether Tata valued loyalty to the Constitution or the administration’s political agenda more.
«We all raise our right hand to uphold the Constitution,» Tata responded, though he defended Trump’s vision of avoiding «unnecessary wars» and rebuilding the military. He pledged to uphold his oath even «if it means getting fired.»
If confirmed as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, Tata would oversee military recruitment, education, healthcare and overall force readiness. He would also play a key role in implementing efforts backed by Trump allies to reduce the number of general officers and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the department.
Tata said he would push to improve military recruiting by expanding access to high school programs to build a «warrior ethos,» and streamline medical waivers for disqualified candidates. He also pledged to advise the chain of command on «apolitical and objective hirings,» and denied supporting any kind of «blatant purge.»
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., expressed concern about political pressure on military leadership, citing the recent ouster of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown. Tata insisted his approach would be objective.
Sen. Jack Reed listens during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
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In contrast, the nomination of Katherine Sutton for a top Pentagon technology role drew little opposition. Sutton, currently chief technology advisor at U.S. Cyber Command, warned that China’s cyber threats demand urgent investment in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Sutton was pressed by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., on whether she believed Signal and Telemessage were permissible for work purposes at the DoD, after a slew of reports about the secretary’s use of the encrypted messaging applications.
«Depends on the level of classification,» said Sutton, adding there are a «wide variety» of apps in use at the DoD.
«OK, glad you got your talking point answer out,» said Slotkin. «It’s concerning to me that going into this job you can’t give a straight balls and strike answer.»
Pentagon,U.S. Defense & Military Politics,Senate,Pete Hegseth,Secretary of Defense,MILITARY
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«Prefieren morir acá antes que irse»: el testimonio del cura argentino que refugia a desplazados en la montaña libanesa
La vida bajo las bombas
El mundo de los abandonados
¿Una invasión diferente?
Los cristianos no abandonan sus casas
La gente tiene ese apego a la tierra que perteneció a su familia durante siglos. Y entonces la gente no se quiere ir
¿Los shiítas, más cerca o más lejos de Hezbollah?
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Jayapal floats reparations for illegal immigrants impacted by Trump crackdown, demands prosecutions
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Amid President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, one congressional Democrat is calling for reparations for foreign nationals who are affected.
«We are going to have some form of reparation for the kids and the families that have been traumatized through all of this,» Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said Friday during a congressional hearing, referring to illegal immigrants. «You talked about how there’s no support for people even once they’re released. We need to make sure that we are funding that kind of work to continue to provide relief.»
Jayapal, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), made the comments during the seventh installment of a hearing series titled «Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Attack on Children.»
The left-wing lawmaker said reparations for illegal immigrants affected by Trump’s crackdown efforts would be just one item in a series of reforms she would push Democrats to pursue if they retake House control in November.
Residents confront federal agents and Border Patrol agents over their presence in their neighborhood on Atlantic Blvd. in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell. California last year passed a law banning authorities from wearing masks. (Getty Images)
HOUSE DEM COMPARES TRUMP’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN TO ‘TERRORISM,’ VOWS TO ABOLISH ICE
Jayapal, who was born in India and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, also said she wants «offensive action» regarding those who are carrying out Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.
«We need real accountability, because at the end of the day, the people that have been inflicting this harm need to be prosecuted,» Jayapal said. «They need to be brought before us, and they need to be held to account for the trauma that they have created.»
A spokesperson for Jayapal did not respond to a Fox Digital inquiry about who specifically she wants to see prosecuted or who would be eligible for reparations.
Reparations refer to financial compensation for a specific group intended to address reputed economic harms. Many progressive Democrats have long advocated for reparations for the descendants of American slaves.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal is floating reparations for illegal immigrants if Democrats retake control of Congress during November’s midterm elections. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
JAYAPAL DOUBLES DOWN ON ANTI-ICE TERROR CLAIMS AS DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS HISTORIC TRAVEL CHAOS
Throughout the hearing, congressional Democrats repeatedly called attention to the children of deported illegal immigrants, while saying little about the victims of illegal immigrant crime.
The group of Democratic lawmakers did not discuss 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, who was allegedly shot and killed by a Venezuelan national illegally living in the United States in Chicago earlier this month.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk down a street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 26. (L) Sheridan Gorman was killed after being shot in the head by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant while taking a walk with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, located less than a mile from the Illinois’ campus, around 1 a.m. on Thursday. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
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Jayapal’s comments came during the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has continued to drag on with no end in sight.
She and nearly all House Democrats have refused to fund the department until the Trump administration agrees to various proposals that could rein in immigration enforcement.
«I have been clear since the start of the appropriations process: I will not vote to give Trump’s ICE or CBP another cent without major reforms,» Jayapal said Friday following her vote against a two-month DHS funding extension.
Though Democrats have been willing to fund the non-immigration parts of DHS, most Republicans have rejected that idea because it would effectively defund law enforcement.
Zeroing out appropriations for ICE and the Border Patrol would continue to force support staff employed by those agencies — have not received a full paycheck during the seven-week funding lapse — to keep working without pay.
homeland security, deportation, democrats, pramila jayapal, illegal immigrants
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Israel aprobó la pena de muerte para terroristas y las organizaciones de Derechos Humanos expresaron su preocupación
El Parlamento israelí aprobó este lunes una reforma legal que establece la pena de muerte por ahorcamiento para los culpables de asesinato terrorista.
Pero organizaciones de derechos humanos advirtieron que la pena capital se aplicará en la práctica a los palestinos y no a los ciudadanos judío-israelíes.
El texto, aprobado con 62 votos a favor y 48 en contra, obliga a los tribunales militares -salvo excepciones sin definir- a imponer la pena capital a palestinos residentes en Cisjordania ocupada. En tanto, los tribunales ordinarios que juzgan a ciudadanos israelíes podrán aplicar en su lugar la cadena perpetua.
Además, estipula más condiciones para imponer esta pena.
La medida se aprobó con los votos del oficialismo
El primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, asistió a la votación en el plenario de la Knéset y votó a favor de la reforma, promovida por el partido del ministro israelí de Seguridad Nacional, el ultranacionalista y supremacista judío Itamar Ben Gvir.
Así lo hicieron la mayoría de parlamentarios del partido de Netanyahu, el Likud, y todos los partidos de su coalición menos el ultraortodoxo Yahadut HaTora (Judaísmo de la Torá). El ultraderechista Israel Beitenu (Nuestro Hogar Israel), en la oposición, votó en cambio a favor. El primer ministro israelí Benjamin Netanyahu en conferencia de prensa con el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump en Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida, el 29 de diciembre del 2025. (AP foto/Alex Brandon)
En general, los partidos de la oposición, incluyendo Yesh Atid (Hay Futuro), Kachol Lavan (Azul y Blanco) y los árabes Hadash y Taal (Movimiento Árabe para la Renovación), votaron en contra.
Tras aprobarse la reforma, cuyo escrito no ha sufrido cambios tras pasar por comisión parlamentaria la semana pasada, Ben Gvir intentó descorchar una botella de champán, pero un empleado legislativo se lo impidió. Pocos minutos después, se detectó un lanzamiento de misiles de Irán hacia la región de Tel Aviv.
“La ley es populista, inmoral, no igualitaria”, condenó durante el debate de este lunes el diputado Matti Sarfatti, de Yesh Atid. Además, la calificó de “claramente inconstitucional”.
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La ejecución de la pena, según la normativa, deberá realizarse en un plazo máximo de 90 días por el Servicio Penitenciario tras la sentencia, mediante ahorcamiento, con regulaciones específicas sobre la detención separada del recluso, el acceso restringido a autoridades y familiares y la supervisión de la ejecución.
El debate en la Knéset se prolongó durante más de 10 horas y estuvo marcado por intervenciones emotivas y críticas.
Fuera de los turnos de palabra, los diputados siguieron la sesión de manera telemática, conforme al estado de emergencia declarado por la guerra, que limita el número de personas reunidas en interiores.
¿“Se aplicará a los colonos asesinos”?
Durante la sesión, la diputada Aida Touma-Suleiman, del partido árabe Hadash, señaló que “en otros países, la pena de muerte es una pena universal aplicable para todos”.
“En este caso, las identidades de la víctima y el asesino son las que determinan la sentencia (…): asesinato o defensa propia. Y es que, ¿acaso se aplicará a los colonos asesinos?”, se preguntó.
Por su parte, Limor Son Har-Melej, diputada del partido ultranacionalista Otzma Yehudit y una de las promotoras de la ley, aseguró que la decisión representa “un momento de justicia histórica” para las familias que perdieron seres queridos en atentados terroristas. Su marido, recordó durante su intervención, falleció en un atentado en 2003.
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“No más cárceles para asesinos, que se convierten en hoteles, como ocurría antes de la llegada al cargo del ministro de Seguridad Nacional, Itamar Ben Gvir”, afirmó la diputada ultraderechista. “Desde hoy, sentencia de muerte. Es una herramienta esencial para erradicar al enemigo y lograr una disuasión real”, añadió.
Advertencias desde el exterior
Los ministros de Exteriores de Francia, Alemania, Reino Unido e Italia rechazaron la medida, criticada también por la ONU y el Consejo de Europa. Su debate se produjo tras la aprobación ‘in extremis’ esta madrugada de los presupuestos generales para 2026, con concesiones a partidos ultraortodoxos que forman parte del gobierno de Netanyahu.
Según recogen medios israelíes, funcionarios militares advirtieron repetidamente a los legisladores sobre los problemas que plantea la legislación incluso después de que se suavizara su redacción. Incluso, señalaron que la medida podría violar el derecho internacional y generar órdenes de arresto contra comandantes israelíes en el extranjero.
Además, numerosos rabinos, expertos legales, representantes del sindicato de médicos, abogados y activistas por los derechos humanos israelíes expresaron su rechazo a la propuesta durante los debates en la comisión parlamentaria, llevados a cabo hasta cuatro veces por semana desde que fuera aprobada en primera lectura el pasado septiembre.
Hasta ahora, Israel solo permitía la pena de muerte en casos extraordinarios, principalmente por crímenes de guerra o genocidio. Solo la ha aplicado una vez con la ejecución en 1962 de Adolf Eichmann, uno de los principales arquitectos del Holocausto.
(Con información de EFE)
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