'He's a clown': Don Winslow slams Pete Hegseth's congressional testimony

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth faced gruelling questions from Democratic lawmakers during a nearly six-hour-long hearing, for the first time under oath since the start of the Iran war. Alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, Hegseth battled questions on the Middle East conflict, as he tried to justify the $1.5 trillion demand for the department. While Hegseth stood fast in defense of the war, author Don Winslow slammed his testimony, calling him "a clown."

Over hours of tense testimony alongside Hegseth answered questions on a range of topics, including the Iran war, its impact on Americans, and his decisions as the Defense Secretary. Hegseth, alongside the Defense Department's chief financial officer Jules Hurst, revealed that the Iran war had so far cost $25 billion, without providing many details. As Hegseth fell short of satisfying many of the lawmakers' questions, Winslow took to X to share his thoughts on the testimony. "Pete Hegseth is a clown, and that was abundantly clear from his Congressional testimony today," the author wrote in his post. He further claimed that President Donald Trump will soon fire him, but he is taking "too long" to do it. "And we are paying the price," Winslow concluded. 

The comments come after Democratic lawmakers grilled Hegseth on the progress the U.S. has made in the Iran war. "We had to start this war, you just said, 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat. Now you're saying that it was completely obliterated," Representative Adam Smith said. He then claimed Iran's nuclear programme was exactly like it was before the war started. However, Hegseth pointed out "their facilities are bombed and obliterated," but "their ambitions continued, and they're building a conventional shield." 

Rep. Ro Khanna pressed Hegseth over the economic burden on Americans, arguing that the true cost of the conflict was far more than $25 billion and pointed to estimates that suggest the war will cost the economy $631 billion or roughly $5,000 per household. "Will you acknowledge that there is an economic cost to the American people for doing what you believe is necessary to make Iran denuclear?" Khanna asked. Hegseth dismissed Khanna's query as a "gotcha question," responding, "What would you pay to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear bomb?"

In another heated exchange, Hegseth fumed when Rep. John Garamendi called the war a "quagmire" and a "political and economic disaster at every level." The Pentagon chief accused the lawmaker of "handing propaganda to our enemies" and of being "blinded" by the hatred for Trump. "The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary, we face at this point are the reckless, feckless, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans," Hegseth remarked. 

While Democrats posed a series of pointed questions, Republicans appeared to be largely supportive of Hegseth and the war. The testimony holds great significance as the conflict in the Middle East will reach the crucial 60-day mark on Friday, and under the 1973 War Powers Act, Trump is theoretically required to begin withdrawing troops after that mark or get approval from Congress to keep the fight going.