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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied rumors that helium drafted a database of elder subject leaders helium allegedly planned to purge aft the rumor tore done the Pentagon past week and reportedly kept emblem officers connected their toes.
"I gotta inquire you astir this rumored database of radical that you allegedly enactment unneurotic that we're each going to beryllium cleaned out. Is determination a list? Is determination anybody near connected the database if it exists?" "Fox News Sunday" big Shannon Bream asked Hegseth successful an exclusive interrogation connected Sunday morning.
"There's nary list, Shannon," Hegseth responded. "I've heard that, seen that precise rumor, though we person a precise keen oculus toward subject enactment and their willingness to travel lawful orders."
Republican lawmakers connected the House and Senate Armed Services Committees said Thursday that they had heard astir specified a database of senior subject officials facing the chopping block, but had not been presented anything.
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The rumors flew done the Pentagon Thursday, creating fearfulness among top-ranked officers, arsenic reports that thousands of probationary DOD employees, including galore subject veterans, could beryllium affected by the national workforce reductions ordered by the White House, Fox News Digital reported past week.
The database allegedly contained a "handful of names."
"I whitethorn person heard a rumor, but I'm not going to speculate connected rumors," Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Fox News. "No 1 has approached maine astir specified a database different than radical asking maine questions."
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Concerns implicit an alleged database mounted connected Friday erstwhile Hegseth was slated to question to Guatanomo Bay successful Cuba to clasp a media availability, but the travel was postponed until aboriginal this week. Some officials viewed the postponement arsenic a awesome the firings would beryllium imminent, Fox Digital reported.
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The Trump medication connected Friday did occurrence six Pentagon officials, including Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who was the archetypal pistillate to service arsenic main of naval operations.
"This is each astir defending the Constitution," Hegseth continued successful his remarks to Bream aft denying the beingness of immoderate "list." "Joe Biden gave lawful orders. A batch of them are truly bad, and it's unfortunate however they eroded our military, ideological, COVID mandates. President Trump has fixed another acceptable of lawful orders, and they volition beryllium followed."
"And each these orders are successful keeping with the Constitution, and norms wrong the military. If they're not followed, past those officers volition find the door. And that's not a pugnacious calculation. We consciousness truly bully astir the absorption the Pentagon is headed nether President Trump. We're going to absorption connected warfare warring and lethality and accountability, and beryllium the astir transparent Pentagon that folks person seen successful a agelong time," helium added.
Earlier successful the interview, Hegseth added that the erstwhile Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Brown, is an "honorable man, not the close antheral for the moment."
Fox News' Louis Casiano, Alexandra Koch and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
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