The sentinel who bawled out Pete Hegseth for apparent disrespect at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider seemed to be speaking for more than just himself.
asserted
who → bawl → himself
Nothing quite epitomizes the disrepute into which the US defense secretary has fallen than the reprimand delivered to Hegseth and his party after they conversed and laughed loudly while visiting Arlington national cemetery on Wednesday to mark Veterans’ Day.
asserted
they → epitomize → Day
The self-anointed “secretary of war” found himself in the line of fire from his own side when Thomas Massie, the outgoing Republican representative from Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment that alleged he was guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors”.
asserted
he → anoint → crimes
The articles focused on his stewardship of the war against Iran, deadly strikes against alleged drug traffickers off the coasts of South America, the seizure of the former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and attempted retribution against Mark Kelly, a Democratic senator, for urging armed services members to disobey illegal orders.
asserted
articles → focus → orders
In the event, Hegseth dodged a bullet when the House of Representatives voted by 211 to 204 against advancing the articles to a committee – a margin that could have been overcome if 11 absent Democrats, some of whom attributed their non-appearance to being “caught in traffic”, had turned up to vote.
uncertain
some → dodge → traffic
But the strength of feeling, combined with the Democrats’ thumping triumph in this month’s congressional midterms, suggests that Hegseth’s reprieve may be temporary.
uncertain
reprieve → combine → midterms
Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to be the Democratic House speaker when the new Congress assembles in January, vowed in a video produced by a military veterans organization that “we are going to run Pete Hegseth out of town.”
Military veterans and commentators believe the threat is serious – and deserved.
asserted
threat → expect → town
“He will not survive impeachment once the new Congress is seated,” said Randy Manner, a retired major general in the US National Guard and a member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A), a group of former senior military officers.
asserted
Manner → survive → officers
“I give it 100% probability he’ll be the first secretary of defense to be impeached.”
asserted
he → give → defense
Joe Cirincione, a veteran military analyst and former congressional aide to the House armed services committee, said: “He is the worst secretary of defense in American history.
asserted
He → say → history
Nobody else comes close.
asserted
Nobody → come → ?
“The Democrats will take this up and and probably have a more rigorous process.
asserted
Democrats → take → process
They will vet the articles of impeachment more and build support for the resolution before they introduce it.
asserted
they → vet → it
“By then, even the Republican caucus will be greatly decreased in number and perhaps be more willing to vote against Hegseth.
asserted
caucus → decrease → Hegseth
“Hegseth may have slipped the noose this time, but he can’t escape justice forever.”
uncertain
he → slip → justice
The ultimate sanction would be removal from office, an outcome that would require a two-thirds vote for conviction in a Senate trial.
asserted
that → require → trial
With the Democrats holding a maximum of 56 seats – the Alaska race is still to be called – the chances of that appear slim.
asserted
chances → hold → that
However, Kevin Carroll – a former army intelligence officer who served in the defense secretary’s office under Donald Rumsfeld – predicted that a Senate trial could pose a serious threat to Hegseth.
uncertain
trial → serve → Hegseth
“I think several Republican senators will vote to convict,” he said.
asserted
he → think → ?
“A lot of Republican senators have said they felt burned by voting to confirm Hegseth due to the enormous pressure brought by Donald Trump when he was at the height of his powers.
asserted
he → say → powers
“Newly re-elected Republican senators will have another six years before they have to face voters – and Trump’s going to be far in the rearview mirror at that point.”
asserted
Trump → re → point
Hegseth’s many critics charge that he is incompetent and unqualified to be in charge of the Pentagon, a vast bureaucracy with a trillion dollar-plus annual budget.
asserted
he → charge → budget
They also accuse him of committing “extrajudicial killings” tantamount to murder by ordering strikes on alleged drug-ferrying boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have killed around 200 people.
asserted
that → accuse → people
Hegseth insists – without providing evidence – that the victims have drug traffickers engaged in narco-terrorism.
asserted
traffickers → insist → terrorism
We hanged Nazis who did the same thing to shipwrecked sailors,” said Carroll, who called Hegseth’s impeachment “a life and death matter”.
asserted
who → hang → impeachment
Hegseth also stands accused of facilitating civilian deaths in the war on Iran, by openly deriding “stupid” rules of engagement and calling for “no quarter” in combat operations, rhetoric critics say paves the way for committing possible war crimes.
asserted
critics → accuse → crimes
Manner accused him reducing accountability by slashing the number of military judge advocate generals (JAGs) and inspector general in the US armed forces’ Central Command – responsible engagement in the Middle East – who would investigate accidents and potential war crimes.
asserted
who → accuse → accidents
More than 165 people, including 120 children, were killed in a strike on a girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on the first day of the war last February.
asserted
people → include → war
Washington has not acknowledged responsibility, although independent investigations have concluded that it was a US strike.
asserted
it → acknowledge → responsibility
Carroll called the deaths “negligent homicide”.
asserted
Carroll → call → deaths
Hegseth was sufficiently perturbed by Massie’s impeachment move to stage his first Pentagon press briefing in six months at which he dismissed the articles as a “political stunt” that handed a propaganda victory to the US’s enemies.
asserted
that → stage → enemies
But Janessa Goldbeck, chief executive of the Vet Voice Foundation – a military veteran’s group – said they had widespread support.
asserted
they → say → support
“There is a overwhelming sense from the veterans and military community, that Pete Hegseth is well deserving of impeachment,” she said.
asserted
she → be → impeachment
“We are coming to this in the context of an unconstitutional and illegal forever war and he has been the most unqualified and incompetent Secretary of Defense at the helm.
asserted
he → come → helm
She added: “He is seeking to tie the impeachment articles as an indictment of President Trump and the strategy in Iran.
asserted
He → add → Iran
But that’s not what these impeachment articles are about.
asserted
articles → ’ → what
They are about conduct that fits the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.
asserted
that → fit → crimes
The question is whether he used the powers of his office in a way that damages the constitutional system itself.”
asserted
that → use → system
The Aporia
