Rep. Jason Crow conducted a master class in questioning Trump goons when he questioned Whiskey Pete Hegseth during Wednesday’s hearing.
It was pretty clear that puffy-faced Hegseth was feeling defensive. As well he should. Republicans are reportedly trying to push out the unqualified, thin-skinned war criminal.
Crow scored points against Hegseth over and over by questioning him about his private attorney and official senior advisor, Tim Parlatore. First, Crow highlighted Hegseth’s dereliction of duty in allowing a lawyer, obviously without security clearance and who also represents foreign governments in his private practice, into high-level Pentagon meetings.
That was bad enough for Hegseth. But then Crow used Parlatore to drive a wedge between Hegseth and Donald Trump by suggesting that Hegseth and Parlatore are more loyal to each other than to Trump. That is the biggest sin possible to wannabe king Trump.
“Is it true that Mr. Parlatore disparaged President Trump?” Crow asked. Hegseth claimed not to know what Crow was talking about. There was indeed a falling out between Parlatore and the Trump campaign. Parlatore “quit Trump’s legal team, saying the infighting made the group a mess. At one point, Trump’s campaign came out and called Parlatore a liar,” Alternet explained.
“Isn’t it true that Mr. Parlatore was accused by President Trump and his lawyers of lying?” Crow asked. He pointed to a blown-up excerpt from a 2023 Politico report: “Trump’s campaign disputed his former lawyer’s assertions. ‘Mr. Parlatore is no longer a member of the legal team. His statements regarding current members of the legal team are unfounded and categorically false,’ a spokesperson said.”
Then, as Hegseth began sputtering, Crow plunged the knife deeper. “What I’m really concerned about is you purport to have unfaltering loyalty to President Trump,” Crow said, “and yet … you are repeatedly going behind President Trump’s back, appointing people who he has accused of lying … and you are not being honest with President Trump.”
As Oeishik pointed out on Bluesky, Crow put on a performance at least as much for Donald Trump as it was for Congress, Crow’s constituents and the country.
Republicans who are too craven to publicly admit that the unqualified, former weekend TV host should be ousted should send thank you notes to Democrat Crow.
Bravo.
