Pentagon Pete Derails Navy Celebration With Angry Meltdown – The Daily Beast

Pentagon Pete Derails Navy Celebration With Angry Meltdown  The Daily Beast

The defense secretary showed up at the USS Lincoln to complain. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln back to the U.S. with a furious rant against the press. The aircraft carrier is due to return home to San Diego on Thursday after being in the Middle East for an extended deployment. Hegseth visited the aircraft carrier Wednesday to praise their work. But what was supposed to be a celebratory moment for the crew after roughly 10 and a half months at sea turned into U.S. service members being subjected to the Pentagon chief airing grievances. “I realize I’m the only thing standing between you and home,” Hegseth kicked off his remarks.

He also acknowledged he was the one who signed orders to extend their tour twice, but it didn’t take long for him to get to his repeated complaints about the media. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his time welcoming home the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday to blast the media for covering their challenges at sea. “There were a few folks in the media who tried to turn the USS Abraham Lincoln into some sort of symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission,” Hegseth complained. “And what I look