'EMBARRASSING moment': Fmr. SecDef Panetta says Hegseth reprimanded at Arlington 'reflects badly'

worn many hats here in Washington, former defense secretary, former CIA director under. President Obama, Leon Panetta. He was notably also White WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF. STAFF FOR FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON AND. SERVED IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. MR. SECRETARY, THANK YOU FOR. BEING WITH US. I JUST WANT YOUR GUT, YOUR REACTION TO THAT. MOMENT. THAT'S HAPPENED BEFORE THE SENTINEL, OFTEN FOR A TOURIST OR PERHAPS. FOR OTHERS BUT I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER. SEEN IT FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.

NO, IT'S AN EMBARRASSING. MOMENT TO HAVE THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, WHO'S THERE TO HONOR AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN. SOLDIER AND HONOR ALL OF OUR FOR VETERANS, AND HE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE DECORUM. IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME HE'S BEEN THERE. BUT TO KIND OF FORGET where he was at, and laugh and joke with others,

and be scolded by a soldier who was doing his. I JUST THINK IT REFLECTS, NOT ONLY REFLECTS BADLY ON. THE. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE BUT IT BASICALLY. HE SAYS THAT'S THE REASON SO MANY. PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS SECRETARY. REMAINING ON HIS JOB, BECAUSE HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT,

AND WHAT HIS BEHAVIOR at the Tomb. of the Unknown Soldier. is a good reflection of that. Of course, just this week, he narrowly avoided. impeachment. He may face another impeachment vote. in the new Congress in January. But in your view, what is the impact. of HEGSAT'S LEADERSHIP ON OUR MILITARY? LOOK, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE. HAS TO BE TRUSTED NOT ONLY by the men.

and women in uniform that he leads, but he has to be trusted by the Congress. And he has to be trusted by the American people. And I think this secretary simply is not trusted. in terms of his behavior. We've got, what, almost 50 ,000 troops that. are deployed. to Iran along with a good chunk. of our OUR FLEET AND OUR AIR FORCE. AND YET, YOU KNOW, AND I BELIEVE THIS DEEPLY.

WHEN I WAS. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, THAT YOU DO NOT DEPLOY. PEOPLE. INTO HARM'S WAY WITHOUT HAVING A CLEAR OBJECTIVE, WITHOUT HAVING A. CLEAR STRATEGY, WITHOUT WE ARE NOT HAVING. AN END GAME. YEAH. NONE OF THAT IS HERE. AND SO THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN. DEPLOYED FOR NINE MONTHS WITHOUT. KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT WHAT THEIR. MISSION WAS ALL ABOUT.

THAT, I THINK, IS A REFLECTION OF A. SECRETARY. OF DEFENSE AND FRANKLY, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED. STATES. FAILING TO PROVIDE THE MISSION. THAT SHOULD GUIDE THE DEPLOYMENT OF OUR MEN. AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM. THAT'S NOT HAPPENING HERE, AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT A. FAILED. WAR ON OUR HANDS. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT SOME. OF THOSE DEPLOYMENTS RIGHT. THERE'S A LOT OF FAMILIES OF. SAILORS ABOARD THE U .S .S.

GEORGE BUSH, THIS IS THE CARRIER THAT. REPLACES THE U .S .S. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE FAMILIES ARE ANGRY, THEY SAY THEY'VE LOST TRUST WITH THE NAVY. THEY HAVE NOW SEEN OR LEARNED. THAT THEIR FAMILY'S DEPLOYMENT. WILL EXTEND PAST THE HOLIDAYS. THEY DESCRIBE DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS ON BOARD. FIRST QUESTION IS HOW ARE WE STILL DEALING. WITH A SITUATION LIKE THIS AFTER WHAT WE SAW. WITH THE LINCOLN AND WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU. WITH THESE EXTENDED DEPLOYMENTS ABOUT HOW LONG. WE'RE GOING TO BE AT THIS WAR WITH IRAN?

WELL, IT JUST MAKES THE POINT THAT THIS IS. A SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WHO DOESN'T GET IT. WHEN YOU DEPLOY OUR FORCES IN HARM'S WAY, THERE HAS TO BE A LIMIT TO THAT. KIND OF DEPLOYMENT. YOU DON'T JUST SEND THEM TO AN AREA. OF THE WORLD AND FORGET ABOUT IT. THEY'RE THERE BECAUSE THEY'RE. SUPPOSED TO HAVE A MILITARY. MISSION AND THAT'S JUST SIMPLY. NOT THE CASE SO I UNDERSTAND. THE CONCERN OF THESE PARENTS.

I REALLY UNDERSTAND THE. CONCERN OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN. WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT. ULTIMATELY IS GOING TO HAPPEN HERE. THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAS A RESPONSIBILITY. FOR THESE PEOPLE. AND HE OUGHT TO BE MAKING HE WOULD HAVE BEEN. CLEAR WHAT THESE DEPLOYMENTS LOOK LIKE. HE OUGHT TO ROTATE THE DEPLOYMENTS THAT. ARE THERE. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE ARE PEOPLE. WHO ARE PREPARED TO PUT THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE,

HE OUGHT TO TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT, WITH DIGNITY AND WITH PROPER ORDERS THAT A. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE OUGHT TO BE GIVING. THERE'S ANOTHER PERSON WHO THE. PRESIDENT'S CHIEF OF STAFF AND. YOU SERVED IN THAT SAME ROLE FOR. PRESIDENT CLINTON. HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND THE POWER. THAT A PERSON IN THAT ROLE HAS, CERTAINLY AS IT RELATES to President Trump. and his access to information. What worries you most about how Stephen Miller.

could wield it? The first thing I learned as chief. of staff to the president, and it's something that Jim Baker, as chief of staff, felt very strongly, is that the chief of staff is not. the president of the United States. And Steve Miller has to understand. THAT HE IS NOT RUNNING THE SHOW. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS RUNNING. THE SHOW.

AND HE IS THERE TO IMPLEMENT. WHAT THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO do, not what he wants to do. So I'm really concerned because of his record, because of his commitment to trying to really. undermine immigration and push deportation. THAT HE'S GOING TO THINK THAT SOMEHOW HE'S IN. A POSITION THAT DETERMINES POLICY. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. THE CHIEF OF STAFF IS THERE BE THERE TO RUN.

THE STAFF AND TO BASICALLY FOLLOW THE DIRECTION. OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. WE'LL SEE IF MILLER CAN BEHAVE. AS A TRUE CHIEF OF STAFF, BUT I HAVE SOME REAL. CONCERNS. THAT HE THINKS HE'S IN A POSITION. WHAT HE SAID YESTERDAY ABOUT THE INVESTIGATIONS, I'M JUST VERY CONCERNED. THAT HE THINKS HE'S RUNNING THE SHOW, NOT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. MR. SECRETARY, ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE. YOU HERE. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERTISE AND. PERSPECTIVE.

APPRECIATE YOU. GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, PEER. NEXT, THE KENNEDY FAMILY PUSHING BACK ON THAT.