President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, sparred with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) over his use of an insult for military lawyers.

During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing Monday, Reed expressed concern over Hegseth’s respect for authority. As an example, he brought up an alleged incident where Hegseth referred to lawyers in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps as “JAGoffs.” Reed asked Hegseth to explain what that meant.

“I don’t think I need to, sir,” Hegseth responded, saying, “The men and women watching understand.”

Reed pressed the question, saying his colleagues may not understand.

“It would be a JAG officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the war fighters. Their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front lines,” Hegseth explained.

“JAGoff” is a play on the Pittsburgher insult “jagoff,” which denotes a cruel person of low intelligence.

Reed bashed Hegseth in his opening statement, indicating that he voted for all other defense secretary nominees, including during Trump’s first term, but that he was unlikely to vote for him.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job. We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you,” Reed said.

“The totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of Defense,” he added.