Hegseth pushes his war duties aside to help Trump nominee in Kentucky

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused Iran war responsibilities Monday to campaign in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District primary on behalf of President Donald Trump's favored nominee Ed Gallrein, who is running against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

Hegseth flew to Hebron for an America First Works event with the former Navy SEAL, marking an unusually overt political move by a sitting Pentagon chief during active warfare, as reported by The Swamp, a Substack from The Daily Beast.

Massie, a seven-term congressman and frequent Trump critic, has questioned the president's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and challenged Republican values, prompting Trump's retaliation.

Political observers noted the rarity of such direct Pentagon involvement in primary contests.

Trump has consistently punished Republican critics: he endorsed candidates against Indiana lawmakers who opposed his redistricting scheme, and backed Julia Letlow in Louisiana to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump during impeachment proceedings over January 6.

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