Summary

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rebuked a reporter who questioned why he selected “an underqualified, retired lieutenant general” John Dan “Razin” Caine to replace Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown.

“I’m going to choose to reject your unqualified question,” Hegseth responded during a meeting with Saudi officials at the Pentagon.

Brown, the second African American to serve as the nation’s top military officer since October 2023, was ousted Friday despite Trump calling him “a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader.”

Before his appointment, Hegseth had advocated firing Brown for pushing “DEI, woke bulls–t.”