On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Inside Politics,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) stated that he thinks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be a strong Secretary, “He’s going to need some help around him. I think one of the things he has lacked in the early days is some real expertise, institutional expertise in the building.” And “I think he’s doing fine. I think he’s going to be an excellent Secretary. But we may need to put some help around him, that’s reliable, that’s stable, and that’s not so contrary to him being there.” Cramer also said, “I think we should not resist so quickly people who have been part of the establishment, if you will, for a long time, it takes a mix.”
Cramer said, “I’m confident that Pete Hegseth can still be and will be a great Secretary of Defense. He’s going to need some help around him. I think one of the things he has lacked in the early days is some real expertise, institutional expertise in the building. And that’s part of why he’s there is to bust up the club a bit. But I think the monster that is the Pentagon was a bigger monster, perhaps, than he even thought. So, no, I think he’s doing fine. I think he’s going to be an excellent Secretary. But we may need to put some help around him, that’s reliable, that’s stable, and that’s not so contrary to him being there.”
He added that Hegseth has run up against “interagency rivalries” and “[Y]ou can, on the one hand, be a disrupter. And we like disruptors, and Pete Hegseth certainly is one. Donald Trump is one. I talked to the president only about an hour ago about this very situation. And I think, though, at the same time, when you’re going into the belly of the beast, it doesn’t hurt to have some of the beast’s organisms on your side and to know how to, if nothing else, just maneuver the place, to be able to navigate the landmines and some of the rich traditions, some of which serve us well and some of which have not served us well. So, I think there are some people, I certainly have some in mind, that I think would be helpful to Pete. And I think we should not resist so quickly people who have been part of the establishment, if you will, for a long time, it takes a mix. And I think that’s what you’re going to see shake out, ultimately, in this entire administration.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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