A Republican senator has offered an unusually harsh critique of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, though it's a Republican senator who no longer has much to fear about crossing the Trump administration. North Carolina's Thom Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth, said the following to CNN anchor Jake Tapper:
- "With the passing of time, I think it's clear he's out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization."
The remarks came during Tillis' first in-depth interview since revealing last month that he will not run for reelection, notes the New York Times. Tillis would have faced a primary challenge after earning the wrath of Trump by voting against the "Big Beautiful Bill." The senator explained he had been torn during Hegseth's nomination in January but ultimately gave in, amid heavy White House pressure. In the interview, he cited in particular Hegseth's decision to pause arms shipments to Ukraine without informing the White House.
"That's just amateurish," he told Tapper. "That's from somebody who doesn't understand large organization dynamics." Tillis suggested the Senate Armed Services Committee didn't vet Hegseth carefully enough. He also expressed concerns about another Trump Cabinet member—health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "Quite honestly, the main reason I supported Kennedy was because Bill Cassidy thought that we should see how it plays out," Tillis said, referring to his fellow GOP senator, a physician. Tillis suggested it's not playing out very well.
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