Trump Strongly Denies Feud With Hegseth—Amid Backlash Over Munitions

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President Donald Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth connected Thursday successful the aftermath of a study the 2 fought complete an alleged weapons shortage owed to the Iran war, calling the declare “treasonous” and insisting he is “extremely happy” pinch Hegseth, who has faced disapproval for months that he’s allegedly misled some Trump and the public.

Trump said “everything has been extraordinary” nether Hegseth and insisted the Iran warfare “is going very well,” penning connected Truth Social that Hegseth is “highly respected wrong the Military.”

Trump was responding to a report successful The Washington Post earlier Thursday that said he accused Hegseth during a gathering past week astatine Camp David of leaving him uninformed astir the alleged weapons shortage.

Hegseth has been facing allegations for months of misleading the president astir the Iran warfare earlier it moreover began and making overly optimistic assessments of its progress, telling some Trump and the nationalist Iran’s weapons stockpiles person been depleted, only for Iran to proceed its attacks connected U.S. troops, sidesplitting 4 work members successful July.

Hegseth has said many times the U.S. has destroyed Iran’s rocket and drone programs, but a U.S. intelligence appraisal successful April recovered much than half of the country’s rocket launchers are still intact, CNN reported, citing 3 unnamed sources acquainted pinch the report.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., during a caller fund proceeding told Hegseth his claims astir the Iran warfare “don’t adhd up,” noting he said past year, aft the U.S. launched targeted strikes connected Iran’s atomic facilities, that its atomic accommodation had been “obliterated,” only for Trump to warrant attacks against Iran successful February by claiming Tehran was weeks distant from obtaining a atomic weapon.

The Pentagon has besides been accused of obscuring the existent number of work members injured successful the war—a group of Democratic senators connected Thursday announced authorities “to prohibition the Secretary of Defense from hiding the existent costs of war” aft the section recategorized immoderate injuries and deaths successful the Iran warfare connected its public-facing database nether “overseas operations,” making it intolerable to parse retired the Iran warfare casualties.