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Pete Hegseth hints disobeying court order and maintaining troop deployment in LA, leaving Democrats baffled
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth attends the annual White House Easter Egg Roll event, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 21, 2025. File Image/Reuters
The US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth , suggested on Wednesday that he would not obey if a federal court ruled against the deployments of National Guard troops and US Marines to the ongoing protests in Los Angeles , California. The remarks from Hegseth came during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
US President Donald Trump's administration has been facing numerous lawsuits over its policies, especially the government's crackdown on immigration. In several instances, the administration has even avoided complying with court orders it dislikes. In response to this pattern, Democrats argued that Trump is sending the country into a constitutional crisis.
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It is pertinent to note that the state of California has sued over Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to the ongoing LA protests against raids conducted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Last week, a federal judge ruled that the control of soldiers should return to California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom.
Hegesth echoes Trump's rhetoric
After the federal court's order, an appeals court stayed that ruling. However, the arguments produced by Hegeseth on Tuesday sounded like the Trump administration is willing to defy Trump's order and keep soldiers under the POTUS's authority. 'I don't believe district courts should be determining national security policy. When it goes to the Supreme Court, we'll see,' Hegseth told the Democratic senator Mazie Hirono during the hearing.
'If the Supreme Court rules on a topic, we will abide by that," he replied when faced with a similar question posed by US Senator Elizabeth Warren. Meanwhile, GOP senators present at the hearing were dissatisfied by the fact that the meeting, which was intended to focus on the Pentagon's budgetary needs for the forthcoming fiscal year, derailed into issues of the LA protests and the ongoing Iran-Israel tensions .
During the hearing, Senator Slotkin asked whether troops deployed in southern California were allowed to arrest protesters or shoot them in the legs. 'If necessary, in their self-defence, they could temporarily detain and hand over to [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. But there's no arresting going on,' replied.
On Friday, US Marines temporarily took into custody a US citizen who was protesting at a federal building in Los Angeles. When Slotkin asked the question about troops shooting protesters, Hegesth laughed before delivering his response. 'Senator, I'd be careful what you read in books and believe in, except for the Bible," Hegseth exclaimed. An exasperated Slotkin replied: 'Oh my God.'
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On the question of hearing
The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict also took centre stage at the Senate committee hearing. The matter was discussed as Trump has publicly mulled the possibility that the United States might strike Iran. When asked if the Pentagon is planning to topple the Iranian regime, Hegseth replied: 'We have plans for everything'.
Hegseth was also questioned about his order to revert the names of military bases renamed by former US President Joe Biden. The ex-Democratic president renamed the bases because they honoured figures in the Confederacy. While commenting on the order, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said that in his state, several bases had been renamed under Biden in honour of accomplished veterans and their families were never officially told that the names would be changed back.
'You didn't call any of the families, and I've spoken with the families, and the families were called by the press. That's how they learned about this. They learned about it from the press,' Kaine said. The Senator went on to ask Hegseth to pause the renaming of these bases.
However, the defence secretary declined to do so. 'We'll find ways to recognise them," he said. Democrats went on to slam Hegseth for turmoil in the ranks of his top aides, questioning his handling of the department.
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