'Don't screw it up': Lawmaker mocks 'incompetent' Pete Hegseth over Pulp Fiction flub

A California Democrat mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to his face for mixing up dialogue from the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" with a biblical passage.

The self-styled "secretary of war" repeated an air rescue group's prayer based on Ezekiel 25:17 and borrowed from a monologue delivered in the film by actor Samuel L. Jackson during a recent Pentagon service, and Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) brought up the episode as Hegseth testified before the House Armed Services Committee.

"Mr. Hegseth, I recently realized we have something in common," Carbajal said. "I am also a fan of 'Pulp Fiction,' and no, the movie is not an accurate portrayal of the Bible. You know what I'm talking about."

Carbajal next pressed the Pentagon chief on how much the war in Iran has cost and the impact of those hostilities on the U.S. economy, and he then questioned Hegseth about a recent decision he made.

"Last week it was announced that the Department of Defense is no longer requiring service members together annual flu shot," Carbajal said. "This is an easy one for you, it's a softball – don't screw it up. The rationale was to 'restore freedom to our joint force.' This has been a requirement since 1915 because it is an effective at preventing the spread of flu among our troops. It is not some new 'woke' requirement, as you like to lean on for much of your rhetoric. This decision is actively making our military less safe. Mr. Hegseth, at this time there are plans, are there plans to remove the mandatory requirement of other vaccinations like measles, mumps and polio?"

Hegseth reminded the congressman that his announcement made clear the military was restoring choice on vaccination to the troops themselves, but Carbajal wasn't impressed.

"Don't you think that is a little reckless?" Carbajal asked, but Hegseth disagreed. "Mr. Hegseth, I stand by what I said last time you were here. You were incompetent then, you are incompetent now, and you are the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to incompetence."

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