Resurfaced Video of Hegseth’s Rant on ‘Stupid’ Rules of Engagement Fuels Calls for Resignation Amid Boat-Strike Scandal

By Elena Rivera

WASHINGTON — The corridors of the Pentagon buzzed with urgency on Thursday as a decade-old video of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth resurfaced, capturing the Fox News veteran railing against the military’s “stupid rules of engagement” and vowing to defy them in combat — remarks that now clash starkly with his role in authorizing lethal strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, a campaign under fire for potential war crimes. The clip, aired prominently on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and shared millions of times on social media, has ignited a firestorm in Washington, with Democrats demanding Hegseth’s immediate ouster and even some Republican senators whispering about the viability of a Cabinet member whose past words undermine his current defenses. As the scandal spirals, threatening to ensnare President Donald J. Trump’s inner circle just weeks before Christmas, Hegseth’s job hangs by a thread, emblematic of the administration’s penchant for loyalty over liability.

The video, originally from a 2016 panel discussion hosted by Concerned Veterans for America — a group Hegseth co-founded — shows the then-Army National Guard veteran, fresh from Iraq deployments, gesturing emphatically at a lectern. “We have these stupid rules of engagement that tie our hands,” Hegseth declares, his voice laced with frustration. “I’m telling you, if I were in command, we’d blow through them. Soldiers need to be warriors, not bureaucrats afraid of a court-martial.” The audience of fellow veterans erupts in applause, but in today’s context, the footage serves as damning irony: Hegseth, now the top civilian overseer of the U.S. military, faces accusations of issuing precisely the kind of unchecked directives he once championed, including a verbal order to an admiral to “kill everyone” on a smuggling vessel, per a Washington Post investigation last week.

The timing could not be more perilous. The strikes, part of “Operation Secure Seas” launched in September, have targeted over 20 vessels in the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 83 deaths — many reportedly civilians or low-level crew, according to human rights monitors like Amnesty International. A follow-up missile barrage on one boat, ordered after initial survivors were spotted, has drawn particular scrutiny, with critics labeling it a possible violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and international law. Hegseth initially denied foreknowledge, calling Post reporting “fabricated,” but White House clarifications confirmed his authorization. Then came the resurfaced September clip from a Quantico event, where Hegseth boasted of watching a similar strike “live” — footage that “Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough replayed Tuesday, declaring it “the nail in the coffin of his credibility.”

Hegseth’s woes compound with the Thursday release of a blistering inspector general’s report on “Signalgate,” the March scandal where he shared pre-strike details on Yemen’s Houthis via the unsecure Signal app. The 128-page document, obtained by CNN, details how Hegseth’s messages mirrored classified CENTCOM emails verbatim, raising alarms about leaks to adversaries — though it stops short of criminal charges, citing his declassification authority. “This isn’t exoneration; it’s a roadmap to recklessness,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., the retired Navy captain whom Hegseth has threatened with court-martial over a separate video urging troops to defy illegal orders. Kelly, amplifying the irony, resurfaced a 2016 Hegseth clip on X where the defense secretary himself preached “consequences” for unlawful commands: “There must be accountability for those who follow bad orders.” “Pete’s going to court-martial me for saying what he said nine years ago,” Kelly posted, garnering 2.4 million views.

The eruption has rippled through Washington like a shock wave. House Democrats, led by Oversight Committee Chair Jamie Raskin, D-Md., announced emergency hearings for Dec. 10, subpoenaing Hegseth’s communications and invoking comparisons to the My Lai massacre. “This isn’t rogue action; it’s a pattern of disdain for rules,” Raskin said on the House floor, his voice rising amid shouts from the GOP minority. On the right, unease simmers: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a moderate voice, told reporters she was “deeply troubled” by the video, while Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally, demurred on “Fox & Friends,” pivoting to border security. Polling from Quinnipiac, released Friday, shows Hegseth’s approval at 29 percent — lower than Trump’s 38 percent — with 61 percent of independents believing he should resign.

At the Pentagon, the atmosphere is one of siege. Sources familiar with internal deliberations, speaking anonymously to avoid reprisal, describe Hegseth hunkered in his E-Ring office, poring over legal briefs with a cadre of attorneys from the conservative America First Legal foundation. “He’s fighting like hell, but the videos are kryptonite,” one aide confided. “Every denial gets walked back.” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, in a rare public statement, emphasized “strict adherence to law of war,” a veiled rebuke that drew White House ire. President Trump, golfing at Mar-a-Lago, issued a terse Truth Social defense: “Crooked Pete is a WARRIOR! Fake videos, witch hunts by Do Nothing Dems. He’s SAFE — unlike Sleepy Joe!” Yet insiders say the president, eyeing midterms where defense spending is a flashpoint, is privately weighing a “reassignment” to blunt the bleed.

The scandal’s viral undercurrent amplifies its peril. On X, #HegsethHypocrite trended with 1.7 million posts by midday Thursday, fueled by clips remixed with dramatic music and captions like “From rebel to rule-breaker.” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, in a Wednesday monologue, called it “impossible to imagine” Hegseth surviving: “He must resign, or the military’s moral compass shatters.” Late-night hosts piled on: Jimmy Kimmel quipped, “Pete’s rules of engagement? ‘Shoot first, deny everything later.'” Even Fox News, Hegseth’s former home, aired a panel where contributor Tucker Carlson — no stranger to controversy — questioned if the secretary’s “warrior ethos” had crossed into “cowboy chaos.”

For victims’ families — including those of the 57 confirmed dead in Pacific strikes — the videos are no jest. A coalition of Guatemalan and Honduran advocates rallied outside the Capitol, chanting “Justicia para los olvidados” as they unfurled banners with strike footage. “Hegseth preaches defiance, but our sons paid the price,” said Maria López, whose brother was aboard a targeted vessel. The International Criminal Court, monitoring from The Hague, has opened a preliminary probe, citing the resurfaced rants as evidence of “systematic disregard” for proportionality.

This maelstrom arrives amid broader administration tremors: the 48-day government shutdown, Epstein file aftershocks and Trump’s flagging poll numbers. Hegseth, a 45-year-old architect of Trump’s “America First” military vision, was confirmed narrowly in January despite sexual assault allegations and drinking lapses — red flags now glaring in hindsight. “Loyalty bought him the job; hypocrisy could cost it,” said one GOP strategist, granted anonymity amid party jitters.

As Friday’s sun rose over the Potomac, Hegseth scheduled a Pentagon briefing, vowing “transparency” on the strikes. But with hearings looming and videos looping eternally online, the question hangs: Can a man who once mocked the rules now enforce them? In Washington’s pressure cooker, where scandals simmer into infernos, Hegseth’s fate may foreshadow the administration’s own unraveling — a reminder that past words, like errant missiles, have a way of circling back.