Hegseth Invited Pizzagate Conspiracy Theorist on High-Stakes Eurotrip
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first foray into international security policy hasn’t been going very well — and that’s outside of him reportedly inviting a Pizzagate conspiracy theorist overseas with him.
According to a Thursday report from The Washington Post, in preparation for his first trip abroad as the Trump administration’s new defense secretary, Hegseth’s team extended an invitation to Jack Posobiec — a far-right conspiracy theorist who has promoted white nationalist ideology throughout his career — to join his entourage. Posobiec was one of the principal figures behind the promotion of Pizzagate, an unfounded conspiracy theory alleging that high-level Democratic officials were engaging in child sex exploitation through coded orders to a D.C. pizza parlor.
While Posobiec traveled to Europe this week with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, he has yet to appear alongside Hegseth, who delivered a hair-raising performance in Belgium ahead of his attendance at this year’s Munich Security Conference. According to the Post, the potential inclusion of Posobiec in Hegseth’s retinue raised questions within the Pentagon about the secretary’s judgement — and what sort of message he hoped to send the international community in his first trip abroad.
Even without a conspiracy theorist attached to his hip, Hegseth managed to make a mess of his appearance before European allies— which really shouldn’t be surprising considering he’s a former Fox News host who’s never been forced to experience the fallout of his public statements. The defense secretary was bashed for bungling comments about the war in Ukraine during a Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels Belgium, and prematurely committing to what would essentially amount to a wholesale Russian victory as the Trump administration pursues negotiations between the two embattled nations.
On Wednesday, Hegseth told reporters that Ukraine’s desired admission into NATO was off the table; that the reestablishment of Ukraine’s original, pre-2014 borders “is an unrealistic objective”; and that the U.S. would heavily curtail security operations in Europe pertaining to Ukraine — including through NATO. Hegseth later walked back some of the comments after European allies rightfully questioned what exactly Russia would be forced to concede in order to end a war that they began. “Everything is on the table,” he clarified on Thursday.
Trump has been deferential to Russia when speaking about a potential deal to end the war. He told reporters on Thursday that he didn’t see Ukraine reestablishing its pre-2014 borders as a legitimate option, and that he doesn’t believe the nation joining NATO is a realistic option, either, citing Russia’s desire to keep them out of the alliance. “I think that’s the way it’s going to have to be,” Trump said of Ukraine staying out of NATO.
Trump was asked during a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi what he believes Russia should have to give up, considering all he’s suggested Ukraine should give up. Trump deflected. “Uhhh, Russia has gotten themselves into something that I think they wish they didn’t,” he said. “If I were president it would not have happened.”
Hegseth hasn’t seemed sure whether to go to bat for Russia or pass the buck to Trump. Regardless, national security and defense experts have been bashing his performance in Brussels as a declaration of preemptive victory for Russia, and a sign of his inexperience on the global stage.
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told Politico on Friday that Hegseth “made a rookie mistake in Brussels.”
“I don’t know who wrote the speech — it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool,” Wicker added. “Everybody knows … you don’t say before your first meeting what you will agree to and what you won’t agree to.”
The European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas told reporters that any agreements forged between Russia and Ukraine by the U.S. would require the participation of Europe if it were to have any hope of success. “Any quick fix is a dirty deal,” she said, adding that “you need Europe and Ukraine to also implement the agreement.”
On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had “had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia” and that they agreed to start negotiations to end the war. Trump added that “we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation.”
The Ukrainian president later said that “we, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us.” Zelensky and members of his team are expected to meet with Trump administration officials — including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — on Friday.
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