Pete Hegseth says Jake Tapper is 'blinded by partisanship' for questioning Mast's patriotism
'Fox & Friends Weekend' host Pete Hegseth rips CNN host Jake Tapper for questioning Rep. Brian Mast’s, R-Fla., commitment to democracy.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper showed that he is a "Democratic operative posing as a journalist" for questioning the patriotism of military veteran Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., "Fox & Friends Weekend" host Pete Hegseth said on Thursday.
"Congressman Mast was very kind, is the way I should put it," the Fox Nation host told "America's Newsroom," after seeing Mast's reaction to Tapper's comments.
"I watched that this morning. He stuck to the principle of what he argued on the House floor, which is there were zero hearings, zero questions asked of anyone related to the incident on Capitol Hill as to whether or not they were motivated by the rhetoric of the president."
Tapper, who has made a habit of offering his opinion during newscasts, faced intense backlash Wednesday for questioning Mast’s commitment to democracy after the Purple Heart recipient opposed President Trump's impeachment following last week's riot on Capitol Hill.
"Congressman Brian Mast... who lost his legs, by the way, fighting for democracy abroad, although I don't know about his commitment to it here in the United States," Tapper said in reaction to Mast highlighting concern toward the 2020 presidential election during the certification of the Electoral College in the House of Representatives.
Mast, an Army veteran and double amputee, called for civil discourse Thursday on "Fox & Friends" in response to Tapper questioning his patriotism.
"OK, the president told you to come to the people’s house, did he tell you to do it violently? Or did he tell you to go there and cheer people on, or what, but it’s worth getting to the bottom of before you rush to judgment and that’s the foundation of democracy," Mast said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends."
"I’m gonna say to Mr. Tapper the same thing that half of America is saying right now, hold me to a high standard – don’t hold me to a double standard. And me asking if any of these lawmakers that are about to vote have gone through any questioning, any hearings, have asked any questions of anybody, that’s an appropriate question, and it speaks to the foundation of our democracy, it doesn’t diminish it," Mast continued, adding that he would also tell the CNN anchor that the country needs to heal its divisions through debate.
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Hegseth called Tapper "an emotional bowl of soup with an inferiority complex for military veterans."
"I’ve known him. I know a lot of vets that he reaches out to. He’s obsessive about it, almost, but, his partisanship is what is blinding him at this moment."
Hegseth said Tapper is "ultimately a Democratic operative that went into the media like most journalists."
"I know exactly who Jake Tapper is. I have no personal animus for him. Neither does Brian Mast. But, to pretend like his ‘hey I recognize he gave his legs on the battlefield, but, he doesn’t care about democracy here’ is the kind of cheap shot you would expect from a partisan posing as a journalist."
Fox News' Brian Flood, Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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