共和党人保住了皮特·海格塞斯，投票阻止了对这位国防部长弹劾条款的审议。这是一次临时性举措，只是把问题往后拖，让海格塞斯日后还得面对问责。自今年夏天以来，我们一直没在五角大楼见过海格塞斯面对记者。但面临弹劾时，他突然站到了台前，把矛头对准了他的一位共和党批评者——众议员托马斯·马西。
Republicans saved Pete Hegseth and voted to block consideration on articles of impeachment against the Defense secretary. It was a temporary move that just kicks the can down the road for Hegseth to face the music at a later date. We haven’t seen Hegseth face reporters at the Pentagon since the summer. But when he was facing impeachment, suddenly he was front and center, taking aim at one of his Republican critics, Congressman Thomas Massie.
但我看到的是一场措辞严厉的政治表演，似乎专门演给一个受众看：特朗普总统。
But what I witnessed was a sternly delivered political performance that seemed designed for one audience in particular: President Trump.
正如MS NOW的凯尔·格里芬在X上指出的：“皮特·海格塞斯自5月以来就没有在五角大楼回答过记者提问。甚至7月1日一名海军指挥官在阿拉伯海直升机坠毁中丧生时没有，7月17日三名美国士兵在伊朗对约旦一处基地的导弹袭击中丧生时也没有。他一直等到需要为自己辩护时才出面。”
As MS NOW’s Kyle Griffin pointed out on X: “Pete Hegseth hadn’t addressed reporters at the Pentagon since May. Not even when a Navy commander was killed in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea on July 1. Or when three U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile attack on a base in Jordan on July 17. He waited until he needed to defend himself.”
海格塞斯还在陈述特朗普应该把他留下来的理由，称在总统手下任职是“一生的荣幸”，并称特朗普是“最伟大的三军统帅”。显然，这场表演奏效了。特朗普在Truth Social上发文，热情地为海格塞斯背书。“皮特·海格塞斯为自己辩护，对抗心怀不满、愤怒、败选的 former 众议员托马斯·马西，我给他一个‘A’加、加、加，”特朗普说。
And Hegseth was making the case for why Trump should keep him around, calling it the “honor of a lifetime” to serve under the president and describing him as the “greatest commander-in-chief.”Apparently, the performance landed. Trump took to Truth Social to give Hegseth an enthusiastic endorsement. “Pete Hegseth gets an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie,” Trump said.
海格塞斯辩称，这次弹劾行动也会让军人陷入危险：“今天把部长推上审判台，明天就轮到执行那些命令的男男女女。如果他们想动这些战士，就得先过我这关。”只不过这并不是针对美国军人的弹劾决议。这是一次追究部长责任的努力，针对的是可能违反我国法律的决策。
Hegseth argued that this impeachment effort also puts troops at risk: “Put the secretary on trial today and the men and women who carried out those orders tomorrow. If they want to come for the warriors they’re going to have to come through me.”Except this was not an impeachment resolution against American troops. It was an effort to hold the secretary accountable for decisions that may have violated our laws.
马西解释了核心论点之一：“弹劾条款第三条。法律规定，如果国会不授权相关行动，我们的军队必须在60天内撤出敌对行动。‘史诗之怒’行动已持续256天。国会并未授权。赫格塞思在违法。”
Massie explained one of the central arguments on“IMPEACHMENT, Article III The law requires our military to withdraw from hostilities within 60 days if Congress does not authorize the activity. Operation Epic Fury has been underway for 256 days. Congress has not authorized it. Hegseth is breaking the law.”
以下是马西对部队的喊话：“这位部长利用我们的部队去为美国的大公司抢夺石油。你们不该被这样利用。你们入伍时宣誓，必要时为这个国家献出生命，这份义务不该被贬低成为大公司偷石油。”民主党和共和党人都对政府的军事行动提出了质疑。
And here’s Massie’s message for the troops: “This secretary has used our troops to go seize oil for large corporations in America. You shouldn’t be used like that. You signed up to pledge your life for this country if need be, and that obligation shouldn’t be diminished to stealing oil for big corporations.”Democrats and Republicans alike have questioned the administration’s military actions.
弹劾决议提出的指控涉及法外处决、未经授权的军事行动、抓捕委内瑞拉前总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗以及平民伤亡。
The impeachment resolution raised allegations involving extrajudicial killings, unauthorized military operations, the capture of Venezuela’s former president, Nicolás Maduro, and civilian casualties.
以针对疑似毒贩的船只打击为例。美联社的一项调查发现，被击毙者背景各异，包括劳工和生计艰难的当地人，而将他们与贩毒联系起来的说法存在争议。据报道，已有200多人被击毙。特立尼达和多巴哥的一些家庭也在对美国提起法律诉讼，称他们的亲属是渔民和农民，而非毒贩。
Take the boat strikes targeting suspected drug traffickers. An Associated Press investigation found that the people killed had varying backgrounds, including laborers and struggling locals, and that claims connecting them to drug trafficking were disputed. More than 200 people have reportedly been killed. Families from Trinidad and Tobago are also pursuing legal action against the United States, alleging their relatives were fishermen and farmers, not drug traffickers.
这就是正当程序重要的原因。指控不等于定罪，犯罪嫌疑人仍有权在法庭上为自己辩护。
This is why due process matters. An allegation is not a conviction, and suspected criminals are still entitled to their day in court.
以下是共和党参议员兰德·保罗对此次打击行动合法性的质疑：“宪法规定，发动战争时国会必须进行投票。……毒品战争，或者说犯罪战争，通常是通过执法手段来处理的，而到目前为止，他们声称这些人是毒贩……却从未向我们出示任何证据。所以到了这一步，我们只能称之为法外处决。”此外还有平民保护问题，这一点尤其令我感到不安。
Here’s Republican Sen. Rand Paul questioning the legality of the strikes: “The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it. … The drug war, or the crime war, has typically been dealt with through law enforcement, and so far they have alleged that these people are drug dealers … and we’ve had no evidence presented. So at this point we would call them extrajudicial killings.”And then there’s the civilian protection issue, which I find particularly troubling.
该决议质疑赫格塞思是否削弱了旨在防止平民死亡的保障措施，包括削减五角大楼的《平民伤害缓解与应对》项目以及平民保护卓越中心。据报道，人员裁减已使这些努力大幅缩水。而这些人员和资源正是为了帮助防止诸如轰炸学校之类的悲剧而设立的。
The resolution questions whether Hegseth weakened safeguards designed to prevent civilian deaths, including cuts to the Pentagon’s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response program and Civilian Protection Center of Excellence. Reported staffing reductions have left these efforts dramatically diminished. These are the very people and resources designed to help prevent tragedies like bombing schools.
与弹劾指控分开列出的还有一系列关切，包括在弹药和装备短缺问题上误导公众、在战时迫使高级军官离职，以及阻挠择优晋升、同时针对女性领导人和有色人种军官。
Separate from the impeachment allegations are a list of concerns, including misleading the public on ammunition and equipment shortages, forcing out senior military officers during wartime, and blocking merit-based promotions while targeting female leaders and officers of color.
所以，感谢你那番激烈而防御性的演讲，它为你从总统那里赢得了加分，但败局已定。这个国家在上次选举中已经发出了声音。皮特·赫格塞思，你该走了。如果你现在不选择体面地自行离开，我相信明年1月民主党掌控国会两院时，你一定会被弹劾。
So thanks for that fiery and defensive speech that got you brownie points from the president, but the writing is on the wall. The country spoke in the last election. It’s time for you to go, Pete Hegseth. If you don’t chose to leave on your own terms now, I’m sure you’ll be impeached in January when Democrats take control of both houses of Congress.
林赛·格兰杰是NewsNation的撰稿人，也是《国会山报》评论节目《崛起》的联合主持人。本专栏是她电视评论的文字整理版。
Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.”This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.