Photo via CBS News

Sen. Thom Tillis says Hegseth is "just out of his depth"

Read the original at CBS News ↗
Cite

Sen. Thom Tillis says Hegseth is "just out of his depth". (2026, October 7). CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/thom-tillis-hegseth-just-out-of-his-depth/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

CBS News · collected 2026-10-07

Quick Summary

In his upcoming book, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina criticizes Pete Hegseth, whom he helped confirm as defense secretary, by saying Hegseth is "just out of his depth." Tillis reflects on the intense pressure and his wavering decision before ultimately voting in favor of Hegseth's confirmation. The book, titled "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents," delves into how this decision has not been viewed positively over time.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In his upcoming book "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents," Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina reflects on the controversial confirmation vote for Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. Initially hesitant, Tillis eventually voted in favor of Hegseth's confirmation under significant pressure from various sources. According to Tillis, this decision has not been one he feels positive about looking back, indicating that he believes Hegseth was "just out of his depth" for the role.

Written for “Hegseth Criticized By Senator” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Hegseth Criticized By Senator
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Independent
Hedges 4 of 31 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A reports on GOP lawmakers' reaction to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's surprise cuts, while Article B discusses Sen. Thom Tillis' reflections on voting for Hegseth in his book.”
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes Sen. Tillis reflecting on his past votes in a new book, while Article B discusses an interview where he talks about those reflections.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A covers an interview with Sen. Thom Tillis discussing various political topics, while Article B focuses on a specific statement about Pete Hegseth in Tillis's new book.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 31 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A describes Sen. Thom Tillis's revelation in his book about his regret over confirming Pete Hegseth, while Article B discusses Tillis discussing his book on a show called 'The Takeout', referring to the same event but describing different occurrences.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Sen. Tillis' regret over voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, they are separate interviews on different dates.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
3
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 3 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
CBS News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

CBS News · 4237 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

No reporter is named on this article.

Topics

North Carolina Republican

Subjects

Tillis PERSON · 2× North Carolina GPE · 1× Pete Hegseth PERSON · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Thom Tillis PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was under intense pressure to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, and after wavering, he ultimately voted yes.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
2026-10-07 · CBS News
Sen. Thom Tillis says Hegseth is "just out of his depth" · assertive framing

Claims (3 extracted, 0 hedged)

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was under intense pressure to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, and after wavering, he ultimately voted yes. asserted
he → confirm → wavering
In his new book "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents," Tillis says that decision hasn't aged well. asserted
decision → lose → Presidents
Tillis joins "The Takeout" to discuss. asserted
Tillis → join → Takeout
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support