Jake Tapper Expertly Rips MAGA Rep's Defense Of Pete Hegseth's 'Drinking Problem'

CNN reporter Jake Tapper expertly shut down GOP Oklahoma Representative Markwayne Mullin's defense of Pete Hegseth's qualifications as a potential nominee for Secretary of Defense.

Hegseth, a former Fox and Friends weekend co-host, was selected by President-elect Donald Trump to join his cabinet as U.S. Secretary of Defense despite his lack of experience in global defense.

Hegseth, however, has been in the hot seat since his history of alcohol abuse came to light.

According to NBC News, some of Hegseth's Fox colleagues expressed concerns about his drinking problem and claimed the Army National Guard veteran often showed up reeking of alcohol before going live. They also claimed Hegseth complained about being hung over on the set.

While Senate Republicans are unlikely to confirm his nomination amid scrutiny from coworkers and Pentagon officials in light of Hegseth's allegations, the MAGA contingent scrambled for excuses to justify Hegseth being a suitable advisor to the incoming President.

During a CNN interview, Tapper was having none of it when Mullin soft-pedaled Hegseth's allegation of a drinking problem.

The discussion started when Tapper played two clips for Mullin.

The first showed Hegseth telling Megyn Kelly on her show that he's "never had a drinking problem."

A second clip featured Hegseth on The Will Cain Show talking about how he would want a drink at 10 a.m. to "self-medicate" with alcohol after returning from serving as an infantry platoon leader and later as a civil-military operations officer in Iraq.

After viewing the second clip, Mullin commented that Hegseth never said he had a drinking problem.

He argued:

“Jake, that wasn’t him saying he had an alcohol problem. That was him being honest."

"Unfortunately, a lot of our combat vets have come back and face the same thing.”

Mullin denounced the media's hypocrisy in highlighting Hegseth's negative attributes during the Senate confirmation proceedings, claiming everyone has a tarnished history.

He continued:

"Yes, [Hegseth] has a past. Jake, you and I have both have a past, and our listeners have a past too, and we get that."

"He's not hiding from his past. He's answering the questions of his past. That doesn't disqualify him from being Secretary of Defense."

On the contrary, Markwayne.

Tapper asserted:

"A drunk reporter who is drinking at 10 AM, for whatever reason, is not in charge of the 3 million person defense department, and so there is a difference."

The internet agreed with Tapper's on-point logic.

Users rolled their eyes at Mullin's glaring false equivalency.

It was also revealed that the embattled SD nominee faced a 2017 sexual misconduct allegation. A woman claimed she was physically blocked from leaving a hotel room and engaged in non-consensual sex with the then-Fox host.

Hegseth denied the accusation but settled with a financial agreement and a non-disclosure clause to protect his job at Fox News.

Users remained obstinate against Hegseth's nomination.

Mullin continued to counter in vain, saying:

“Well, then there’s a lot of politicians that have a drinking problem."

“There’s probably a lot of media that has a drinking problem too.”

“There’s a lot of alcohol that flows through Washington, D.C. on a regular basis, and I wouldn’t say that people are alcoholics or they have a drinking problem because of that."

Typical MAGA rationale.

But thanks for playing, Senator.