Hegseth won't commit to abiding by judicial decision on guards in LA
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers "it's not my lane" to say whether or not the Department of Defense would comply if a judge ordered a withdrawal of National Guard and Marines from LA.
"It's not your legal view that makes the decision in America. It's the federal judiciary," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. "If the federal court ... judge has an order [that] is a preliminary injunction, will you agree to abide by the federal courts?"
"What I will tell you is my job right now is to ensure the troops that we have in Los Angeles are capable of supporting law enforcement in there," Hegseth replied. "This is not my lane. But we also recognize that the way in which the judiciary has expanded its powers.”
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., a former Marine, ripped Hegseth over the Marine deployment in LA and Hegseth's refusal to say political allegiance should not be required for military service.
"You're not worthy of my attention or my questions. You're an embarrassment to this country. You're unfit to lead," Carbajal said. “And there's been bipartisan members of Congress that have called for your resignation. You should just get the hell out and let somebody competently lead this department.”
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia