Pete Hegseth, now the U.S. Secretary of Defense, is facing renewed scrutiny after resurfaced 2016 comments show he repeatedly warned that American service members had a "duty" to refuse unlawful commands from then-candidate Donald Trump. The remarks-broadcast across multiple Fox programs-contrast sharply with his current condemnation of six Democratic lawmakers who issued a nearly identical warning to military personnel this year.
The newly unearthed recordings date back to March 2016, when Trump's campaign rhetoric included proposals that military lawyers said would violate the laws of war, such as reinstating torture and vowing to "kill the families of terrorists." At the time, Hegseth, then a Fox News contributor and former National Guard officer, stressed the legal and ethical obligations of U.S. troops. "You're not just gonna follow that order if it's unlawful," he said on Fox & Friends. On Fox Business, he reiterated: "The military's not gonna follow illegal orders."
His comments escalated further in a separate speaking appearance later that year, when he said the U.S. military "won't follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief." The warnings underscored an emerging divide between Trump's escalating campaign promises and longstanding military norms.
The tension reached a peak during a March 2016 Republican debate, when Fox News moderator Bret Baier asked Trump what he would do "if the US military refused to carry out those orders." Trump responded confidently: "They won't refuse. They're not going to refuse me. Believe me."
Hegseth reacted critically the next day on Megyn Kelly's program, telling viewers, "Here's the problem with Trump. He says, 'Go ahead and kill the family. Go ahead and torture. Go ahead and go further than waterboarding.'" Hegseth added that troops could be left exposed to legal jeopardy. "What happens when people follow those orders, or don't follow them? It's not clear that Donald Trump will have their back." He concluded: "Donald Trump is oftentimes about Donald Trump. And so you can't; if you're not changing the law and you're just saying it, you create even more ambiguity."
Nearly a decade later, Hegseth is taking a dramatically different position. As Defense Secretary, he has denounced six Democratic lawmakers-branded the "Seditious Six" by conservatives-after they released a 90-second video telling troops and intelligence officers that "threats to our Constitution" may emerge "from right here at home." The lawmakers said, "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law, or our Constitution. Know that we have your back. ... Don't give up the ship."
The video followed mounting concerns over the administration's aggressive tactics against alleged drug-smuggling vessels and the domestic deployment of active-duty troops. Hegseth accused the lawmakers of producing a "politically motivated influence operation" and claimed their message "undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion." He has also ordered a Pentagon investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired Navy captain and one of the video's participants.
The White House has defended Hegseth's stance. Spokesperson Anna Kelly argued last week that "the military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders, but seditious Democrats injected ambiguity and failed to provide a single example because all of President Trump's actions have been lawful. Instead, these lawmakers sowed doubt in a clear chain of command, which is reckless, dangerous, and deeply irresponsible for an elected official."
