By Jeff Zeleny, David Wright, CNN
Hebron, Kentucky (CNN) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a rare wartime visit to the campaign trail on Monday, imploring Republicans in Kentucky to defeat GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and send President Donald Trump “reinforcements” who pledge to support his agenda.
Rallying alongside Ed Gallrein, Massie’s Republican challenger, on the eve of Kentucky’s primary, Hegseth railed against the congressman, whose repeated clashes with the administration over budgets, the Epstein files, and US support for Israel have infuriated the president.
“President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party,” he said. “He needs people trying to help him win, to vote with him when it matters most.”
He added: “When President Trump needs backup, Massie wants to debate process.”
Hegseth’s appearance in Hebron is among the only times in recent memory in which a secretary of defense took time from his Pentagon duties to campaign for a political candidate, who is running against one of the Iran war’s biggest critics.
“I have to say upfront,” Hegseth said at the opening of his remarks, “I’m here in my personal capacity.”
No Republican has infuriated Trump more than Massie, which has placed him in a precarious position heading into the Kentucky primary on Tuesday. The race in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District is already one of the most expensive primary contests ever, with more than $30 million spent on advertising alone, setting up the biggest political test Massie has ever faced.
Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy SEAL whom Trump and his allies recruited into the race, on Monday praised Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon and noted the significance of his visit amid a backdrop of war.
“Think about where we are in history right now, and you’re having the secretary of war coming here to little old Kentucky to see you here today,” he told the audience. “That’s something to be proud of.”
“He’s flat daggum busy, isn’t he, with everything he’s got going on,” Gallrein continued. “I think you all would agree, the second-busiest guy in the world right now to President Trump is Pete Hegseth.”
Hegseth’s appearance prompted pushback from legal advocacy firm Democracy Forward, which asked the Department of Defense’s inspector general on Monday to investigate whether it violated policies around political activity.
The secretary spoke of Gallrein as a “warrior” who would stand with Trump, as he assailed Massie’s opposition to parts of the administration’s agenda.
“Ed Gallrein’s record speaks for itself,” he said. “Thomas Massie’s record speaks for itself, too. Too much grandstanding. Too few great votes. Years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. It’s not.”
Massie, meanwhile, has downplayed his critics’ efforts, and on Monday, hours before Hegseth’s appearance with Gallrein, he posted on social media, signaling confidence.
“Pickin and grinnin !” Massie wrote, accompanied by a video of him playing the banjo.
The-CNN-Wire
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