Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has drawn the ire of former military officials and others after he defended the Apache helicopter fly-by at Kid Rock’s residence. With reports that the pair of Apache helicopters flew near a Nashville “No Kings” rally, individuals who have served at various levels in the armed forces had choice words for Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On Tuesday, Secretary Pete Hegseth, 45, quote-tweeted Kid Rock’s initial videos of him saluting and gesturing toward the Apache helicopters.
“Thank you[,] @KidRock. @USArmy [P]ilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots [American flag emoji],” read Hegesth’s tweet.
The United States Army initially stated that it would investigate the fly-by, which didn’t appear to be a sanctioned military maneuver. The action sparked a fair amount of outrage on the X platform.
Military veteran John Jackson wrote on X, “Helicopter gunships were used to intimidate a No Kings protest. In violation of multiple DoD regulations, federal laws, and the First Amendment. Now Hegseth is immunizing this behavior. While they’re trying to steal an election. This is an acute crisis. America won’t take it.”
CNN anchor Jake Tapper wrote, “[S]ecretary @PeteHegseth would you make the same decision had these pilots done the same thing to celebrate @springsteen? Or is this contingent upon folks sharing your political views?”
MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell added, “The world knows America’s Secretary of Defense has time for this law breaking during wartime because he’s an utter buffoon who doesn’t know what military discipline is.”
Travis Akers, a retired United States Navy intelligence officer, echoed a common refrain, writing, “Pete Hegseth is a disgrace.”
It doesn’t appear that the United States Army has made further commentary.
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Photo: Getty
