WASHINGTON — Sen. Mark Kelly said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “often fires people because of the color of their skin or because they’re women,” and that the pattern is “damaging our readiness.”
The Arizona Democrat, a retired Navy captain, said it on the Oct. 4 broadcast of Face the Nation. Margaret Brennan had asked about a 20 percent cut Hegseth announced the week before, and about whether Democrats could stop it. Kelly answered with a motive.
He often fires people because of the color of their skin or because they’re women.
Brennan said Hegseth would deny that. Kelly said, “Of course he would deny that. I think anybody would deny that. But it’s pretty obvious.” His evidence was a promotion list he did not produce. “When you have a list of seven people who don’t promote from one-star to two-star, and five of them are either black or women, it’s pretty obvious,” he said. He did not name the seven.
The cut she asked about is in the Sept. 30 State of the Force address. In the as-delivered text, Hegseth said “the number crunchers say we fired 10% of the generals and admirals across the force, and that number sounds about right,” and that he had directed an additional 10 percent cut in general-officer slots. “So yes, 20% reduction across the board,” he said. “Now the media calls that a purge. I call it accountability, and long overdue.” He said officers who “clung to the woke department” no longer work there. He did not cite race or sex.
Kelly said a loss of readiness leaves “everybody watching the show, you and your family,” less safe. Brennan asked who the next cuts would target. He did not name a next officer, and he did not name a vote that would stop the reduction. The statutory cap on general and flag officers is a separate question from the motive he alleged. He did not cite it.
The motive is his inference from a seven-name list he described and did not show. The 20 percent figure is the secretary’s. The speech calls the same reduction accountability. Neither page is the list.