Hegseth excoriates media, likening them to ‘Pharisees’ in Trump defense

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ripped the media Thursday, likening them to Pharisees in the Bible who "were only there to explain away the goodness in pursuit of their agenda."

"A note to the press, to the press corps, to the American media, as I just can’t help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage, you cannot resist peddling, despite the historic and important success of this effort and the success of our troops," Hegseth said during a press briefing on the war with Iran, at the Pentagon. 

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The U.S. is currently in a ceasefire with Iran during Operation Epic Fury, which began on Feb. 28. The U.S. and Iran could begin a new round of peace talks as soon as Thursday, according to reports.

Hegseth went on to say that it was difficult to "figure out what side" some of the press was on. 

"It’s incredibly unpatriotic," he said. "This same press corps, not this exact same press corps, but at least an older press corps bent over backwards during the Biden administration to explain away, you explained away the disastrous and disgraceful Afghanistan withdrawal." 

Hegseth recalled the withdrawal, telling the media, "You called it the greatest airlift in American history. It’s almost like you’re cheering only for one side."

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He then recounted his experience in church over the weekend.

"This past Sunday… I was sitting in church with my family, and our minister preached from the Book of Mark, the third chapter," Hegseth said. "And in the passage, Jesus entered a synagogue and healed a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees came to watch. And as the Scripture reads, they came to see whether he, Jesus, would heal him, or he would heal Him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

"You see, the Pharisees, the so-called and self-appointed elites of their time, they were there to witness, to write everything down, to report," he said.

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"But their hearts were hardened. Even though they witnessed a literal miracle, it didn’t matter, they were only there to explain away the goodness in pursuit of their agenda. As the passage ends, the Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel against him how to destroy him," Hegseth continued.

The secretary of war then likened some of the "Trump-hating press" to the "Pharisees."

"I sat there in church, and I thought, our press are just like these Pharisees," Hegseth said. "Not all of you, not all of – but the legacy Trump-hating press. Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors. The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative. The hardened hearts of our press are calibrated only to impugn. I would ask you to open your eyes to the goodness, the historic success of our troops, the courage of this president, and this historic moment for a deal that could end the Iranian nuclear threat." 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hegseth for comment.