Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth made an unusual foray into electoral politics Monday, launching verbal attacks against one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal Republican opponents in Congress while inserting himself into a Kentucky House race that serves as a measure of the president’s influence.
Hegseth made the trip to Kentucky to deliver criticisms aimed at weakening Rep. Thomas Massie before Tuesday’s primary contest in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. The defense secretary claimed he was appearing “as a private citizen” rather than in his official Cabinet role.
However, Hegseth repeatedly invoked Trump’s name while endorsing Massie’s challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back,” Hegseth said. “Too often, Thomas Massie has acted like his job is to stand apart from the movement that President Trump leads, instead of strengthening it. When President Trump needs backup, Massie wants to debate process.”
The defense secretary’s campaign involvement marks an unusual departure from standard practice while the country remains engaged in warfare, occurring as Trump seeks to showcase his ongoing control over the Republican Party amid growing economic worries and Iran war concerns fewer than six months from midterm voting.
Massie’s primary contest stands out this midterm cycle as a significant test of Trump’s influence. Presidential supporters have invested tens of millions into efforts to defeat Massie, creating what has become the costliest congressional primary battle in American history.
Massie, among the few Republican House members to publicly oppose Trump, has spoken against the Iran conflict and strongly advocated for making the Jeffrey Epstein files public.
“They’re desperate. That’s why they’re sending the secretary of war to my district,” Massie said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “That’s why the president’s losing sleep and tweeting about this.”
Before Hegseth’s Kentucky visit, the Pentagon released a statement addressing accusations that the defense secretary violated regulations by using government funds for campaign activities.
“Secretary Hegseth is attending this event in his personal capacity. No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell. “His participation has been thoroughly vetted and cleared by lawyers, including the Department of War Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal statute.”
