2,422 videos 1,389,747,653 views US Joined Aug 30, 2018
Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Senator Markwayne Mullin Defends Pete Hegseth Amid Political Attacks on Defense Secretary Performance
Senator Markwayne Mullin addresses the political assault on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite measurable improvements in military recruitment, procurement, and operational readiness. Mullin reveals that Senate Republicans remain solidly behind Hegseth, with only one senator on the Armed Services Committee creating concerns. The Oklahoma senator discusses efforts to prevent Democrats from staging a politically motivated hearing designed for fundraising rather than substantive oversight, while emphasizing that Hegseth is successfully challenging the status quo at the Department of Defense.
Senator Markwayne Mullin confirmed that the Senate Republican caucus remains unified in supporting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite intensifying political attacks. According to Mullin, Hegseth faces character assassination attempts precisely because he is challenging the status quo within the Department of Defense.
"I'll tell you the Senate Republican GOP is standing solid behind Pete. We understand this is another character assassination trying to get rid of a guy because he's daring to challenge status quo," Mullin stated. "He's made some big changes inside DoD and we know they needed to be made."
Measurable Success Despite Political Opposition
Despite the relentless assault, Pete Hegseth shows objective signs of success in his role as Defense Secretary. Recruitment numbers are up, procurement is moving in the right direction, military exercises have increased, and war games are being conducted more frequently. Additionally, Hegseth has successfully removed what critics called "woke" initiatives from military operations.
The senator emphasized that these attacks come even as Hegseth demonstrates measurable improvements across multiple defense metrics, suggesting the opposition is politically motivated rather than based on performance.
Restoring the Defense Department Mission
Mullin explained that Hegseth inherited a bloated Department of Defense that had lost its focus on lethality and mission readiness. The department had become risk-averse and politically oriented under previous leadership.
"They had started leaning in towards a Democrat party that has lost their direction of understanding what lethality is, what mission ready is, and about the war fighter," Mullin said. "They became very risk-averse and try to play politics. You can't win wars and you can't deter our enemies by playing politics. And Pete is restoring the DoD's mission."
One Senator on Armed Services Committee Raises Concerns
While Mullin confirmed strong support across the Republican caucus, he acknowledged that one member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has been attempting to create problems. This same individual also opposed Hegseth during his confirmation process.
"We have one member on the SAS, which is the Senate Committee on Armed Services that is trying to ruffle feathers a little bit. He's the same individual we had some problems with with Pete's confirmation, too," Mullin revealed. However, the senator expressed confidence that these differences could be worked out, noting they had a scheduled meeting to address concerns.
Of the 53 Republican senators, including the three who voted against Hegseth's confirmation, only this one committee member is raising objections to Hegseth's performance.
Blocking a Politically Motivated Hearing
Senator Mullin disclosed that Republicans are working to prevent Democrats from holding a hearing on Hegseth's performance. According to Mullin, such a hearing would not serve a substantive oversight purpose but would instead provide Democrats with a platform for political theater and fundraising.
"One thing that we're trying to keep from happening is actually allowing the Democrats to have a hearing on this because the hearing wouldn't be for production. It would be for promotion and a production for them to be able to go out and show their base their fighting and stir up stuff," Mullin explained.
The senator clarified that if a hearing would produce substantive results, Republicans might be open to it. However, the current push appears designed purely for political optics rather than genuine oversight.
Moving Forward With Confidence
Despite the challenges, Senator Mullin expressed strong confidence in continued support for Pete Hegseth. The Republican conference stands behind the Defense Secretary as he continues implementing changes at the Pentagon.
"We're going to stand strong with him no matter what type of onslaught and slander the media and the left want to throw at him," Mullin declared, signaling that Republican support for Hegseth remains unwavering despite the political attacks.
