Photo: Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters
US President Donald Trump has publicly backed current Defence Secretary Pete Hagel amid new allegations of his influence on the Pentagon’s functionality. This was reported by CNN.
Speaking to journalists, the White House chief categorically denied the accusations against Hagseth, calling them “fake” and orchestrated by disgruntled employees and hostile media.
“There is no malfunction at all. Ask the Houthis what kind of dysfunction they have,” Trump said, alluding to recent US military operations against armed groups in the Middle East.
Trump stressed that Pete Hagesse is performing his tasks effectively, and his main mission is to “get rid of a lot of bad people” in the US national security system.
“Pete is doing a great job. Everyone is happy with him. This is just fake news. They are making up stories that are spread by disgruntled employees,” the president said.
Trump’s comments came against the backdrop of information leaks about Hagans’ management decisions, which, according to CNN sources, allegedly caused internal tensions in the Pentagon. However, no specific facts have been made public.
