Tipsheet

John Bolton and His Weird, Funny Mustache Had This to Say About Pete Hegseth

Former national security advisor John Bolton and his weird, funny mustache blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Signalgate fiasco that Democrats just can’t stop talking about.

During an appearance on CNN, Bolton called on the secretary to resign over the matter, which Democrats are trying to turn into Hegseth’s personal J6.

The host asked whether “Hegseth should still be on the job,” to which Bolton replied, “No, I think he should resign for his own safety’s sake, if nothing else.”

This is a critical time for the American military. We understand the Trump administration will rightly propose enormous budget increases for defense. We need it. We need a secretary who can get the job done, not somebody who spends his time on Signal chat groups.

The host asked how concerned Bolton is about the possibility that foreign adversaries might target Hegseth and other high-profile Pentagon officials “to get into their phones and put in spyware.”

Bolton answered, “I almost never used my personal phone when I was national security advisor.”

He added: “I mean, the breaches of security at risk in this conduct are enormous, and I think that’s one reason why he shouldn’t be in the job.”

Bolton, who never saw a country he didn’t want to bomb into oblivion, served as Trump’s national security advisor between 2018 and 2019. He often advocated for a more pugilistic approach toward Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.

The former advisor was not a fan of the president’s opposition to involving American troops in unnecessary foreign entanglements. He resigned when Trump sought to end US military involvement in Afghanistan.

House Republicans recently blocked a Democrat-led inquiry into Hegseth’s use of the Signal app, CNN reported.

House Republicans have thwarted Democratic efforts to probe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s controversial use of Signal, using their power to stop the minority party from forcing a vote that could embarrass the Trump administration.

GOP leaders tucked a provision into a rule approved Tuesday that effectively prevents Democrats from forcing a vote on “resolutions of inquiry,” a tool often used by the minority to try to launch an investigation. Such resolutions typically fail, but with controversy mounting over Hegseth’s use of Signal to communicate military plans, Republicans wanted to avoid a vote that could succeed in the narrowly divided chamber if just a handful of GOP members broke ranks.

Of course, Democrats are whining about the move, saying Republicans are trying to shield Hegseth and the Trump administration from scrutiny. The problem is they have no leg to stand on.

When Democrats controlled the House under the Obama administration, they pulled the same move several times to limit Republican-led inquiries into the White House. When the GOP pushed for a probe into the Obama administration’s handling of the financial crisis and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) limited motions that could force votes on GOP-led resolutions of inquiry.

The Democrats are going to try keeping this Signalgate thing alive for as long as they possibly can. But no matter how often they harp on the issue, the nation appears to have largely moved on from it, no matter what Bolton and his weird, funny mustache have to say about it.