Pete Hegseth has been pelted with questions since his confirmation hearing for secretary of defense started Tuesday morning.
During the hearing, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) suggested the nominee may want to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal using military force.
President-elect Donald Trump has floated the idea of taking control of the two entities, IJR previously reported on. Trump has not committed to doing this by military force.
“Would you use our military to take over Greenland or an ally of Denmark?” Hirono asked Hegseth.
Hegseth responded, “Senators, one of the things President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand. I would never in this public forum, give one way or another what orders the president gives me in any context.”
Hirono said it sounded like the answer was in the affirmative.
“That sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal,” she said.
The interaction was posted on X by journalist Eric Daugherty:
Many spoke out about the questioning on X:
