Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would not directly answer a question from a Democratic lawmaker Wednesday about whether he supported the decision to activate the National Guard during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Watch Hegseth’s remarks in the player above.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said during a budget subcommittee hearing that he wanted to give Hegseth a chance to respond to concerns that there was a double standard being applied by the administration to protests.
“The president, when he came into office, issued pardons to the individuals that attacked the United States Capitol, including those individuals who beat savagely police officers,” he said. “You have deployed the National Guard and readied Marines in a way that many people think is unnecessary given the state and the local resources.”
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Murphy asked if Hegseth supported the National Guard being sent to defend the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
“All I know is it’s the right decision to be deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles to defend ICE agents who deserve to be defended in the execution of their jobs,” Hegseth said.
Murphy pressed again, adding that it was important for people to know “that you care about protest, whether it’s against the president or on behalf of the president.”
Hegseth didn’t answer the senator’s question, but added that he was a part of the D.C. Army National Guard at that time and was initially ordered to guard President Joe Biden’s inauguration, but “because of the politicization of the Biden administration, my orders were revoked.”
Murphy again asked if the defense secretary supported the decision on Jan. 6 to send the National Guard to the Capitol.
After some crosstalk, Murphy said Hegseth’s response “speaks to the worry that many Americans have that there is a double standard, that you are not willing to defend against attacks made on our democracy by supporters of the president, but you are willing to deploy the National Guard to protect against protesters who are criticizing the president.”
Hegseth has strongly defended President Donald Trump’s militarized response to the protests over federal immigration raids in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities.
He told lawmakers Tuesday that the some 4,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines activated by the president are expected to stay in Los Angeles for 60 days. The mobilization will also cost the Defense Department roughly $134 million, said Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, Hegseth’s acting comptroller.
Congressional lawmakers, especially Democrats, are demanding that Hegseth provide more details around its fiscal year 2026 budget.
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