Raw Story: 'That's a drinking problem': CNN's Tapper shoots down GOP lawmaker covering for Hegseth

[Dennis Donovan]

Raw Story - 'That's a drinking problem': CNN's Tapper shoots down GOP lawmaker covering for Hegseth

Tom Boggioni
December 8, 2024 10:49AM ET



On Sunday morning CNN's Jake Tapper corrected a GOP lawmaker who tried to dismiss a video of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth boasting about drinking beer first thing in the morning as perfectly normal behavior.

During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was shown two clips of Donald Trump's embattled nominee to be secretary of defense in which the former Fox News host claimed he has never had a "drinking problem," and then, in the subsequent video, stating, "After returning from Iraq, I'd look around at 10:00, I'd be like, what am I going to do today? How about I drink some beers? How about I go have lunch and have some beers?" before later adding, "One beer leads to many leads to self-medication, leads to 'I've earned this'."

"How do you reconcile that with him now claiming that he's never had an issue with alcohol," host Tapper asked his guest.

"Jake, that wasn't him saying he had an alcohol problem, that was him being honest," Mullin attempted. "Unfortunately, a lot of our combat vets have come back and faced the same thing that they're sitting there and that was their identity in the service. They had a job to do, they were responsible for certain things, and they get out of the service and they're back and they're sitting there twiddling their thumbs. They've had a lot of experiences that the regular population doesn't."

"For the media to go after him and start describing that as a drinking problem is individuals that doesn't understand combat veterans because they've never been there, they've never been in combat, they've never seen the horrific stuff that comes by. That they've never tasted the dirt in their mouths. They've never heard the horrible sounds in their ears, they never had the sights that they can't get rid of, they've never had the dreams in the middle of the night," he added. "And I think it's hypocritical for them to even question that now. Now, if he did have a drinking problem, that would be obvious. But to make something out of it that isn't there just because he's going through secretary of defense, the media should be ashamed of themselves."

/snip/

/snip

[yardwork]

1. What a bunch of bull.

[sop]

2. They're talking about Hegseth's drinking problems to distract from him being an accused rapist.

And a serial philandering, wife-abusing, white nationalist sleazeball who couldn't run a couple of veterans PACs.

[displacedvermoter]

3. Markwayne doing his best to support my case about his stupidity rankings in the Senate

[patricia92243]

4. Trump does not like alcoholics. He is history.

[Rebl2]

11. But he's

Okay with drug addicts.

[ShazamIam]

5. Jeez, Mullin can't even speak correct English: " is individuals that doesn't understand." nt

[displacedvermoter]

6. Exhibit 426.....

[Uncle Joe]

7. Mullin sounds like a classic enabler.

Thanks for the thread Dennis Donovan

[republianmushroom]

8. It is perfectly normal behavior. for an alcoholic.

Have had several alcoholic's in my family and they had a shot or beer in the morning. They would tell you they didn't need it, just though it would taste good and clear their head.

[Across-the-Desk]

9. Mullin is an Valor Stealer

During the segment Mullin states that people don't know what it is like to be a combat vet with the 'taste of dirt in your mouth', or the hardship and trauma that takes place on the battlefield like he knows personally..

Big reveal: Mullin has NEVER served in any branch of the armed forces.. He is completely talking out of his ass and makes it seem like he personally knows what it is like to be a combat vet when he never served.. This isn't the only time he has alluded to being an armed forces vet either.. He is a fraud and a valor stealer...

[Escurumbele]

10. Not a good interview, why does Jake let this guy talk so much when so much of what he is saying is bull?

The fact there are other people who drink and may have a drinking problem doesn't make it OK for this guy to assume that kind of a roll when he, by many accounts, does have a drinking problem.

Its the same old, a lot of people do it, veterans do it because of the horrors they have experienced, and I understand that, but drinking because of the horrors you experienced and the fact that many veterans do it does not qualify you to run the Pentagon.

Every time republicans get caught with their pants down they want to "move on"...F^&*^ you, you guys never "move on", how many years they kept blaming Bill Clinton for stuff they did, how many years did they do the same to Obama, how many years did they go on a witch hunt against Hunter Biden? Why didn't they move on when they knew it was all BS?