Not surprisingly, Sullivan has nothing to say about Hegseth

Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is running for reelection, has absolutely nothing to say about Pete Hegseth and the military strikes on boats in the Caribbean, according to spokeswoman Amanda Coyne.

Coyne told Alaska’s News Source that Sullivan is “already working to get the full set of facts related to the boat strikes in Venezuela.”

Sullivan always turns to Coyne to announce that he doesn’t have anything to say on topics that make him uncomfortable.

In October he voted against a resolution blocking the missile strikes on boats without approval by Congress.

Sullivan refused to explain his position, using his standard tactic—the senatorial skedaddle.

“We’ll talk later. I’m in a meeting. We’ll talk later,” he said in response to a question relayed by Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media as he walked down a hallway in October.

Coyne or a subordinate later emailed a statement to Ruskin claiming it is legal for Trump to order the indiscriminate killings without due process or evidence because drugs are killing Americans and Trump claims the U.S. is at war. By the time of that vote, 21 people had been killed in the U.S. attacks.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of two Republicans to vote for the resolution, claims the operations are illegal because the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war.

“I have questioned the legality, and I wanted to know specifically, what's the end goal here,” she told Ruskin in an interview, this one about the two people killed while hanging onto the wreckage of a boat.

Sullivan “declined an interview request this week but his office sent a statement saying he’s seeking more information,” Ruskin reported Thursday.

Sullivan’s studied silence is no surprise. And he may be “working to get the full set of facts” for as long as Donald Trump keeps napping on the job.

More than 80 people have been killed now during this legally and morally dubious campaign, but Sullivan decided months ago that there was no need to “get the full set of facts” about blowing up boats on the high seas and killing the occupants.

Sullivan’s belief in Hegseth’s lethal approach is not shared by Adm. Alvin Holsey, who was fired by Hegseth after questioning the killing spree.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that “according to two Pentagon officials, Hegseth asked Adm. Alvin Holsey to step down, a de facto ouster that was the culmination of months of discord between Hegseth and the officer. It began days after President Trump’s inauguration in January and intensified months later when Holsey had initial concerns about the legality of lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, according to former officials aware of the discussions.”

Sullivan is also silent on what message the United States is sending to its own citizens and the rest of the world by executing people without due process.

Sullivan has been covering for Hegseth since even before casting a deciding vote to put the TV host in charge of the Pentagon. They are fellow members of the “anti-woke” brigade.

Sullivan claimed a year ago that Hegseth has a “great bio” and would restore the killing power of the United States military.

Sullivan repeatedly claimed to right-wing media that the military was a woke organization under Biden, that the “warrior culture” was neglected and that the Pentagon was not improving its ability to kill people. The military couldn’t kill people under Biden, as effectively as under Trump, according to Sullivan.

“I’m confident Pete will work to refocus our military on lethality and peace through strength, as well as getting rid of the damaging woke policies of the Biden admin,” Sullivan said last year.

Sullivan and Hegseth cling to the word “lethality” as their mantra. The endless and mindless repetition of catchphrases is their substitute for sound judgment.

“This is the change agent that we need,” Sullivan said in cheerleading for Hegseth last winter.

“I very much appreciate your focus on lethality and war fighting,” Sullivan told him during his confirmation hearing. “We desperately need it.”

Murkowski does not believe that Hegseth has a “great bio.”

She voted against Hegseth’s confirmation, which came down to a 50-50 tie, broken in Hegseth’s favor by the vice president. The questions of character that Murkowski cited early this year about Hegseth have not gone away.

"The leader of the Department of Defense must demonstrate and model the standards of behavior and character we expect of all service members, and Mr. Hegseth's nomination to the role poses significant concerns that I cannot overlook," Murkowsi said.

Hegseth led two small organizations “marked with accusations of financial mismanagement and problems with the workplace culture he fostered,” Murkowski said.

“While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces,” she said.

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