00:00The president ordered the strike, is that correct?
00:03Which strike are you referring to?
00:04The strike on Iran, the war that we're in.
00:07Oh, of course. I mean, he's the commander-in-chief. He's made the calls.
00:10It sounds like you're blaming daddy for the mess we're in,
00:13and I don't think he's going to be particularly happy with you.
00:16I see what you're trying to do.
00:17There's no daylight in this administration on this campaign,
00:21and I'm happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with this administration.
00:24Reclaiming my time.
00:26Earlier, Secretary Hegseth, you talked about flexible realism,
00:29so let's see if we can figure out how much of it is realistic
00:32and how much of it is just flexible.
00:35Secretary Hegseth, last year I asked you some questions about Indopaycom
00:38and threats in Europe, and you had a hard time answering those questions.
00:42I'm sure you prep better this year,
00:44and I'm hoping you can answer some of these basic questions,
00:47since now we are at war.
00:49Do you know what the price of oil is today?
00:53I don't know where it's gone at this time of this hearing,
00:57but roughly $100 a barrel.
00:58It's actually closer to $120, $117.
01:01Well, it depends on the index you're looking at.
01:02I'm looking at Brent.
01:05Do you know what the price was the day before of Brent,
01:09the day before we went to war?
01:12It was certainly lower.
01:13You understand you're taking some economic risk,
01:15but I would note the energy dominance this president has
01:18at least just put us in an incredible position.
01:21So it's $72, and so now we have a 62% increase.
01:26By the way, the department obviously will be paying those extra fuel costs.
01:31That's going to be not insignificant, but so will the American people.
01:34Now, at its narrowest point, how wide is the Strait of Hormuz?
01:40I think it's about 12 miles, but I'd have to check.
01:43It's 24 miles, but 12 miles is actually the relevant number
01:45because that's the navigable channel.
01:47That's the international water navigable channel point.
01:49And do you know how many barrels of oil transited the Strait of Hormuz
01:54each day before the war started?
01:56I don't know the exact number, but you're looking at over 100 oil tankers
02:01usually transited a day, or 120 a day would transport the Strait.
02:04Yeah, and so 20 million barrels a day,
02:07and right now they're at an 81% reduction.
02:10So it sounds like you've done your homework.
02:13You're tracking pretty well what the strategic situation is.
02:20So a couple of questions.
02:22Were you aware that if we struck Iran that they would most likely close the Strait of Hormuz?
02:31Of course, our department was prepared and planning for every possible contingent
02:35being front and center as something they may do in a desperate state to attempt to facilitate some kind of
02:41control.
02:41And I appreciate that.
02:43And earlier you told Mr. Moulton that this department has looked at all aspects of the risk
02:48and that the president got every possible perspective.
02:52And then recently you just said that the president did understand the risks
02:55and had the courage to undertake the endeavor nonetheless, and that's leadership.
03:01Or words to that effect, pretty close.
03:02And so I just want to kind of give you the state of play right now.
03:06It's been two months of war.
03:08We have hopes for a resolution, but the war continues, really.
03:12Iran has closed the Strait, and we've now gone in and blockaded their ports.
03:17One-fifth of the world's oil is unable to transit the Strait,
03:22and the American people and the department are paying significantly more.
03:28And you also said that this is what the American people actually voted for.
03:33But actually, the American people voted for a promise not to get into Middle Eastern wars.
03:40And they voted for lower prices.
03:43And this is the exact opposite of what they got.
03:46So let me ask you this.
03:49The president ordered the strike.
03:51Is that correct?
03:53The president's been saying for over 30 years that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
03:57So he's been very clear as a position.
03:59When the American people voted for President Trump overwhelmingly, they voted for that position.
04:03But the president ordered the strike.
04:05Is that correct?
04:06Which strike are you referring to?
04:08The strike on Iran, the war that we're in.
04:10Oh, of course.
04:11I mean, he's the commander-in-chief.
04:13He's made the calls.
04:14It sounds like you're blaming daddy for the mess we're in,
04:17and I don't think he's going to be particularly happy with you.
04:19I see what you're trying to do.
04:21There's no daylight in this administration on this campaign,
04:24and I'm happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with this administration.
04:27Reclaiming my time.
04:29So let's shift gears.
04:30Last time we were here, I asked you if you'd apologize to the mother of an F-18 pilot
04:34whose son you endangered for sharing classified information on the signal chat.
04:38You refused.
04:39On March 1st, six Army soldiers, including a constituent of mine,
04:43were killed by an Iranian drone strike.
04:45Do you take any responsibility for those deaths?
04:50I was there at Dover when they came back.
04:52Of course, I take responsibility for every aspect of this mission.
04:54Well, I appreciate that.
04:55Because you also complained about the fact that tragic things happen.
05:00The news makes it front-page news.
05:03The press only wants to make the president look bad.
05:05Is it about the soldiers, or is it about the president looking bad?
05:09It's not just the president who wants, the media that wants to make him look bad.
05:13It's you.
05:14It's actually about the soldiers, and it's frankly reprehensible that you would make that statement.
05:19And so, you know, Truman had a sign on his desk that said the buck stops here.
05:24And this administration, it's about passing the buck.
Comments