Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), perhaps channeling his inner Democrat, has recently taken to the public stage to call for President Trump to dismiss Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. This demand appears to be fueled by a disproven allegation from the New York Times.
Bacon, who once donned the uniform of an Air Force general and now heads a cybersecurity subcommittee, launched a media offensive on Monday, questioning Hegsethās credentials while reiterating a debunked NYT claim that he used the private Signal app to discuss sensitive military operations in Yemen with his family.
āI had concerns from the beginning because Pete Hegseth didnāt have much experience,ā Bacon stated to Politico, conveniently overlooking Hegseth’s extensive military service, advocacy for veteransā affairs, and strong backing from the conservative community.
āI appreciate his contributions on Fox. However, if itās true that he had another Signal conversation with his family about operations against the Houthis, that is completely unacceptable,ā Bacon added.
āIām not in the White House, and Iām not in a position to dictate how they should manage this ā¦ but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldnāt tolerate it if I were in charge,ā he continued.
āRussia and China have thousands of personnel monitoring communications at the highest levels, and the Secretary of Defense is a primary target. For him to be sharing sensitive information via his phone is inappropriate. Heās acting like heās above the law ā which reflects a lack of professionalism,ā Bacon asserted.
Baconās core allegationāthat Hegseth discussed classified mission details via Signalāhas already been thoroughly discredited as unfounded and false news.
In response, Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman, issued a scathing rebuttal to the Times article:
āAnother day, another resurrected storyāthis time from the Trump-hating media, which continues its obsession with undermining anyone aligned with President Trumpās agenda.
This time, the New York Timesāand the other purveyors of Fake News that echo their narrativeāare shamelessly relying on the complaints of disgruntled former employees as the foundation for their claims.
They are quoting individuals who were recently terminated and clearly have an agenda to sabotage both the Secretary and the Presidentās initiatives.
There has been no classified information exchanged in any Signal conversation, regardless of how they attempt to spin the narrative. What is evident is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is becoming increasingly robust and effective in implementing President Trumpās agenda.
We have made significant strides for the American military and will not retreat,ā Parnell concluded.
Meanwhile, President Trump had a succinct reply when questioned about his confidence in Pete Hegseth following the latest Signal chat revelations. āItās just fake news,ā he remarked to a reporter during the Easter Egg Roll. āHe was appointed to eliminate many problematic individuals, and thatās precisely what heās doing. You donāt always have allies when you tackle that,ā he continued. āHe is performing excellently ā¦ Just ask the Houthis how heās doing,ā Trump quipped, referencing U.S. airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen.
Bacon’s actions reveal an unsettling truth: he may be more of a RINO in disguise than a true patriot, seemingly more invested in pleasing the political establishment than in championing Trumpās America First principles. His hasty judgment regarding a fabricated Signal chat scandal suggests he is either naively gullible or knowingly colluding with leftist efforts to undermine Hegseth.
Representative Don Bacon is gearing up for re-election in 2026. He has announced his candidacy for the U.S. House to represent Nebraskaās 2nd Congressional District in the upcoming election set for November 3, 2026.
