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Waltz doubles down on Hegseth praise amid ongoing Pentagon controversy
Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz reiterated the administration’s support for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Sunday, saying they «couldn’t be prouder» of his early months in the role, despite a wave of high-profile controversies and resignations that have embroiled the department in recent weeks.
Speaking to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Waltz was pressed about the alleged dysfunction inside the Pentagon’s top ranks— and whether, in his view, the current Pentagon is equipped to deliver on lofty foreign policy goals, including helping broker a negotiated settlement in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
«Can you do this in what appears to be a chaotic, weakened Defense Department?» Bartiromo asked Waltz on «Sunday Morning Futures,» citing reports of chaos and dysfunction, including recent firings of Hegseth’s top aides, and reports he has been threatening polygraph tests for some staffers at the department.
«I’ll tell you about a weakened Pentagon,» Waltz fired back. «That was one that had a Defense Secretary that disappeared for two weeks just last year, and nobody knew about it.»
DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REBUFFS NEW GROUP CHAT ALLEGATIONS AS ATTEMPT TO ‘SABOTAGE’ TRUMP’S AGENDA
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is seen at Guantanamo Bay earlier this year. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. ShaTyra Cox)
In contrast to his predecessor, Waltz said Hegseth is «leading from the front» at the Defense Department, and praised what he described as Hegseth’s early efforts to reform the Pentagon.
«He is leading the charge, and he has no tolerance for leaking,» Waltz said, dismissing the alleged chaos or dysfunction as a «media narrative,» and one he vowed they «are going to power through.»
Waltz also brushed off a question about the departures of senior aides, including Hegseth’s own chief of staff, Joe Kasper, last week.
The exodus of senior officials and other allegations of chaos from inside the Pentagon have prompted some Democrats to call for an investigation into his leadership.
But Waltz also brushed off these characterizations of dysfunction on Sunday. Asked by Bartiromo how he was going to replace the fired Pentagon officials, Waltz said in response: «Maria, there’s 20,000 people in the Pentagon.»
«There is a record number of generals,» he said. «And the other piece— there is accountability. We have had several general officers that weren’t getting the job done, and admirals get fired and get replaced… That’s what the Pentagon needs.»
Waltz argued that that is a stark contrast to the longtime culture at the Pentagon, where he said «no one ever gets fired, [and] there’s never a sense of accountability.»
«And now there is,» he told Bartiromo.
«Whether it’s leaks, or not getting the job done, or failures in terms of procurement acquisition, now you have a leader that’s in charge,» Waltz said. «And I couldn’t be prouder of Pete Hegseth.»
HEGSETH SHARED DETAILS OF YEMEN STRIKES IN SECOND SIGNAL CHAT: REPORT
Pete Hegseth, left, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Defense secretary, shakes hands with Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss. after his Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Waltz’s remarks come as Hegseth’s role has come under mounting scrutiny in recent weeks — both for his participation in at least one Signal group chat in March where he discussed a planned military strike against the Houthis, and the firing of several senior staffers earlier this month.
Hegseth earlier this month fired three top aides: including his aide, Dan Caldwell, his deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and the chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, Colin Carroll.
These oustings were described as both «baffling» and alarming by John Ullyot, a former Pentagon communications official who resigned earlier this year.
«The dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,» Ullyot wrote in an op-ed for Politico.
The White House, however, has sought to emphasize its support for Hegseth in recent days, with both Vice President JD Vance and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt vehemently dismissing reports that the administration could be considering a possible replacement.
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«Let me reiterate: The president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth and the change that he is bringing to the Pentagon, and the results that he’s achieved thus far speak for themselves,» Leavitt told reporters at a briefing last week, describing the reports as a «smear campaign.»
Trump’s First 100 Days,Pete Hegseth,Pentagon,Politics,National Security
INTERNACIONAL
A pedido de Donald Trump, Gran Bretaña despliega tropas en Israel para supervisar el alto el fuego con Hamas en Gaza
Ya están los militares británicos en Israel
Planificadores militares y especialistas
Un miembro de la defensa civil busca cuerpos atrapados bajo los escombros de los edificios destruidos, en ciudad de Gaza. Foto Reuters¿Ya han comenzado el trabajo?
Israel es difícil de controlar
INTERNACIONAL
Paris judge indicts Chinese woman for theft of gold nuggets from France’s Museum of Natural History
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A Chinese woman was indicted by a judge in Paris for allegedly stealing nearly $2 million worth of gold nuggets from the city’s National Museum of Natural History, including items dating back to the California gold rush.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday that the 24-year-old suspect was charged with organized theft and criminal conspiracy following the Sept. 16 heist. She was arrested two weeks later in Barcelona, Spain, as she was preparing to return to China, it added.
Prosecutors said on the morning of Sept. 16, a museum curator was notified by a cleaning staff member of debris inside the facility and the disappearance of gold nuggets usually on display, which included an 11-pound nugget from Australia, items linked to the 19th century California gold rush and a nugget gifted by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in 1833.
An investigation determined that two doors at the museum were cut open with a circular saw. In the mineralogy gallery, the display case containing the nuggets was broken into with a blowtorch, authorities said.
LOUVRE HEIST ADDS TO HISTORY OF HIGH-PROFILE MUSEUM BREACHES, LEAVES OTHER GALLERIES ON EDGE
A mineral of gold from Australia is displayed during the exhibition «Earth’s treasures» on Dec. 18, 2014, in the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France. (Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images)
At the site, investigators found a screwdriver, saws, the blowtorch and three gas canisters used to power the blowtorch, according to the prosecutor’s office.
It said surveillance footage revealed that a single person entered the museum by force around 1 a.m. on the morning of the heist.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office estimated that the financial loss of the gold nuggets is around $1.74 million, while an additional $58,000 worth of damage was caused by the break-in. It also said the historical and scientific value of the gold pieces was priceless.
NEW VIDEO PURPORTEDLY SHOWS LOUVRE THIEVES IN ACTION DURING BRAZEN DAYTIME HEIST
The Galerie de Mineralogie of the National Museum of Natural History is seen in Paris, France. (Rachel Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
At the time of her arrest in Barcelona, the suspect attempted to dispose of around two pounds of melted gold pieces, prosecutors added.
They said the investigation remains ongoing, as authorities are trying to figure out what happened to the stolen items and if there are any accomplices.
In France, the organized theft charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The National Museum of Natural History in Paris was broken into on Sept. 16, 2025, prosecutors said. (Rachel Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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The suspect remains in custody while awaiting court proceedings.
france,crime,europe,spain,china,history,world
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Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination to lead a government watchdog agency on Tuesday after his inflammatory rhetoric came to a head this week in a report about race-fueled text messages he purportedly sent.
Ingrassia’s decision to remove himself from consideration to head the Office of Special Counsel came two days before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs was set to consider his nomination.
«I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,» Ingrassia wrote on social media.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., quashed all hope of Ingrassia’s confirmation on Monday, saying, «He’s not going to pass.» When asked on Tuesday if it would be a mistake for Ingrassia to appear for his hearing, Thune laughed and said, «Yeah.»
KEY TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY SENATE DEMS PUTS PRESSURE ON GOP LEADERS
Paul Ingrassia, White House Liaison to the Justice Department, left, announces the release of brothers Andrew and Matthew Valentin outside the D.C. Central Detention Facility on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Pete Kiehart/The Washington Post)
Ingrassia, 30, said in a group chat, according to Politico, that he sometimes had a «Nazi streak» in him, and he used the term «moulignon,» an Italian slur for Black people, to call for doing away with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month.
The leaked chat was only the latest controversy as Ingrassia has floated around the administration serving in two different roles.
In July, Ingrassia faced a formal complaint from a lower-ranking female colleague who alleged, according to Politico, that when they arrived at a hotel for a work trip in Orlando, she found she did not have a room and was informed by Ingrassia that she would be sharing one with him. The woman, who did end up sharing a room with him, later retracted the complaint and Ingrassia also disputed it.
Ingrassia has publicly defended social media influencer and self-described «misogynist» Andrew Tate, and previously worked at a law firm that said he was on Tate’s legal team before his July 2024 admission to the New York bar. Tate and his brother face U.K. charges of rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain, filed by the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2025. They deny the allegations.
Ingrassia was first hired as a White House liaison at the Department of Justice, where he was briefly put in charge of hiring Trump loyalists at the department. But he abruptly left and took a job at the Department of Homeland Security instead.
President Donald Trump nominated Ingrassia in May to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency (unaffiliated with the DOJ) that vets workplace complaints from federal employees.
TRUMP EXPLOITS LOOPHOLES TO KEEP ALINA HABBA IN US ATTORNEY ROLE, TRIGGERING COURT CLASH
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
«Paul is a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar, who has done a tremendous job serving as my White House Liaison for Homeland Security,» Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
Ingrassia rejected Politico’s characterization of the text messages, saying through his lawyer that even if they were real, «they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis.’»
Ingrassia has been scrutinized time and again for controversial writings, and pressure had been building on Trump to yank his nomination.
In a since deleted X post days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, Ingrassia called the Palestine-Israel conflict a «psyop.»
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate (C) arrives at the Municipal Court of Bucharest, Romania, on June 21, 2023. (Daniel MihailescuI/AFP via Getty Images)
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A coalition of Jewish organizations was among those who called for Ingrassia’s nomination to be withdrawn.
«Mr. Ingrassia’s public statements and associations with people who espouse antisemitic, racist, and misogynistic views, raise serious questions about his ability to carry out these responsibilities with the integrity, impartiality, and commitment required of the office,» the coalition wrote.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that Ingrassia was no longer the nominee.
Alex Miller contributed to this report.
donald trump,congress,white house,republicans elections,white house,donald trump,homeland security
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