Pete Hegseth denied time to respond to accusations of 'incompetence' during House hearing

The Republican chair of the House Armed Forces Committee did not allow Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to respond to accusations that he is incompetent as he reached for his microphone after a Democratic lawmaker gave him a tongue-lashing on Wednesday.

After Hegseth earlier complained to Rep. John Garamendi (D-CSA) about his reference to the Iran war as a "quagmire,” the Democratic lawmaker lectured the former Fox News personality.

“Secretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one, and so has the president,” Garamendi accused. “You have misled the public about why we are at war. You and the president have offered ever-changing reasons for this war. You've misled the public about the progress of the war.”

“While the military has executed this war with tactical success, the strategy has been an astounding incompetence, doing immense economic damage to America,” he added.

That led Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) to interrupt and complain, “Chairman, Mr. Chairman, with the personal attack on the secretary, he should have an opportunity to respond.”

Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL) replied, “He certainly will," before pointing out that it was Garamendi’s time to do with it what he wanted.

“Despite the president's promise to lower the cost of living, gas prices are up 40 percent and inflation is soaring,” the California Democrat continued. “So much for lowering the cost of living.”

“The president has got himself and America stuck in a quagmire of another war in the Middle East. He's desperately trying to extricate himself from his own mistakes and it is in America's, and indeed the world's interest, that he succeed in that,” he added before yielding back to the chair, with Rogers ignoring Hegseth's move to reply.

- YouTube youtu.be