The flak is always heaviest when you’re directly over the target.

Americans paying attention have noticed the Borking and Kavanaughing of Trump’s Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. Thus far, everything Democrats/socialists/communists (D/s/c) have trotted out in an attempt to sink his nomination has failed. Yeah, Hegseth is divorced. Yeah, he's a warrior and sometimes behaved like one. Yeah, he used to drink. Blah, blah, blah.  His confirmation hearing was embarrassing—to D/s/c politicians like Elizabeth Warren who walked into a trap of her own making by demanding Hegseth pledge not to work for defense contractors after leaving office, like most generals do. Hegseth wryly replied: “I’m not a general, Senator.” Rim shot.

D/s/cs were counting on Hegseth’s FBI background check to provide juicy scandals that could torpedo his nomination, but that didn’t pan out either. There was nothing they could use or even try to twist into a scandal.

Desperate, because it appears Hegseth has the votes to become Secretary of Defense, D/s/cs tried a last-minute dirty trick: 

Graphic: X Screenshot

With Pete Hegseth's confirmation as Secretary of Defense becoming all but certain leading up to President Donald Trump's inauguration, the attempt to Brett Kavanaugh him is now underway. On Tuesday night, NBC News released a hit piece accusing Hegseth of abusing his second wife, causing her to "fear for her life." Other press outlets immediately followed suit with similar reports, citing an affidavit submitted by his former sister-in-law.

The ex-sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, was interviewed by the FBI for Hegseth's background check. She reportedly made the same claims, but the FBI, unsurprisingly, couldn't substantiate them. And there was another problem. Hegseth’s ex-wife told the media on the record, before the media published, the allegations were false. JD Vance cogently observed:

Graphic: X Screenshot

This isn’t just a sympathetic ex-wife trying to get Hegseth out of a last-minute jam: 

Both Pete Hegseth and Samantha Hegseth signed a 2021 court document that said neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.

Oops. Montana Senator Tim Sheehy added additional context about Danielle’s motivations:

Graphic: X Screenshot

With any luck, we’ll soon know who made such assurances. I wonder if it was the Pentagon? Most likely it was congressional D/s/cs, though the Pentagon is not looking forward to Hegseth’s confirmation.

If you think you hate the media, Donald Trump Jr. reiterates why you don’t hate them enough:          

Graphic: X Screenshot

And so does Andrew Surabain:

Graphic: X Screenshot

Of course it’s indefensible, but the media still thinks it’s invulnerable and unaccountable.  CNN’s recent defamation loss should have disabused them of that lunatic notion. Bonchie sums up:

Graphic: X Screenshot

Some good will come out of this. Pete Hegseth will be confirmed, and it will become even more obvious just how far the legacy media have fallen, and how little trust—virtually none—honest Americans have in them. 

The media ought to be paying attention to what Ernest Hemingway said about bankruptcy: it happens gradually and then suddenly. The media’s moral and ethical bankruptcy, and their financial bankruptcy, is nearly past the gradual stage. Suddenly can’t come soon enough.

On a different subject, if you are not already a subscriber, you may not know that we’ve implemented something new: A weekly newsletter with unique content from our editors for subscribers only. These essays alone are worth the cost of the subscription. 

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.