Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) on Thursday lambasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him an “embarrassment” and demanding he resign over a range of issues including sharing sensitive military attack plans via an unsecure Signal group chat, deploying Marines to Los Angeles amid protests, and his views on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I have called for your resignation. I didn’t think you were qualified before your confirmation, and you have done nothing to inspire confidence in your ability to lead competently,” Carbajal said during a budget hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.
The California Democrat began his line of questioning by pointing to Hegseth’s decision to relay the launch time for fighter jets set to strike Houthi militant targets in March with at least two Signal group chats — one including The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg and the other including his wife, brother and a personal lawyer.
Hegseth — who also reportedly accessed the chat, which he created, via his private phone rather than his government phone — has repeatedly insisted no classified information was shared.
“You broke the law in sharing classified information and in doing so, endangered the lives of our service members that you are responsible for,” Carbajal said Thursday. “Your inability to hold yourself accountable makes you incapable to lead. To lead. This alone makes you unfit to be the secretary of Defense.”
Later, the Defense secretary declined to say whether he thinks the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, saying only that “we support peace in Ukraine.” Carbajal grew more heated with the response.
“Come on! Is this really leadership?” he said. “You’re an embarrassment to the United States.”
The exchange came a day after Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine faced fiery questioning in the Senate, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned the duo on the Trump administration’s position regarding the war.
Caine told senators that he did not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will stop at Ukraine if he wins the nearly three-year war and Ukraine cedes the land — a marked contrast to the Trump administration’s typical ambiguity on the question.
Hegseth was also pressed Thursday on whether he believes political allegiance to President Trump is a requirement for serving the U.S., either as a service member or a civilian. When the Pentagon chief dodged the question, Carbajal finally exploded.
“You know what? I’m not going to waste my time anymore,” he said. “You’re not worthy of my attention or my questions. You’re an embarrassment to this country, you’re unfit to lead, and there’s been bipartisan members of Congress that have called for your resignation.”
“You should just get the hell out and let somebody competently lead this department,” he added.
The statement prompted the panel’s chair, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) to call for decorum.