Josh Hawley is actively undermining the U.S., and one Democrat has had enough of it

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Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is gearing up to run for president in 2024. That means going full QAnon against the most qualified Supreme Court nominee in a generation, and it means going where Trump goes: in alliance with Putin. That includes undermining the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. State Department. 

One Democrat had enough on Thursday, and is tearing up the internet with his takedown of the odious Hawley. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) came to the floor to request unanimous consent to confirm Christopher Lowman as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment at the Department of Defense, whom Hawley has been blocking since his nomination in November. Hawley objected, with a rant criticizing President Biden’s foreign policy and defense strategy.

Schatz blew. 

“So, what Senator Hawley wants is to go through his litany of criticisms of the Biden administration, and the truth is that every senator has that right without blocking the logistics guy from the Department of Defense,” Schatz said.

“But he’s doing a very specific thing. He is damaging the Department of Defense. We have senior DoD leaders, we have the Armed Services Committee coming to us and saying, ‘I don’t know what to tell him, I don’t know how to satisfy him, but he is blocking the staffing of the senior leadership at the Department of Defense.’”

Two weeks ago, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) tried to bring the Lowman nomination to the floor and Hawley was there to block it then, too. Kaine explained the criticality of having the position filled. “[T]he Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment is the principal assistant and adviser to the Department on logistics and materiel readiness. The Assistant Secretary prescribes the policies and procedures for the conduct of logistics, maintenance, materiel readiness, strategic mobility, sustainment support in the DOD, supply, maintenance, and transportation—extremely important functions to have a military that works.” All the more important, he said, “during a war in Europe where the U.S. military is playing a very important role.”

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Hawley has been blocking Defense and State nominees since September, ostensibly over the decision by President Joe Biden to end the war in Afghanistan. He has been demanding that both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, all resign. He has a hold on “every single civilian nominee” in those departments until that happens. His argument in September was about Afghanistan, but he’s changed horses now, and says it’s about Ukraine and how Biden isn’t responding with enough aid or quickly enough.

That was his specious objection on Thursday. While he is personally undermining the Pentagon by refusing to allow it to be fully staffed. That’s what set Schatz off Thursday:  “And this comes from a guy who raised his fist in solidarity with the insurrectionists,” Schatz exclaimed. “And this comes from a guy who, before the Russian invasion, suggested that maybe it would be wise for Zelenskyy to make a few concessions about Ukraine and their willingness to join NATO.”

“This comes from a guy who just about a month ago voted against Ukraine aid!” Schatz continued on the floor Thursday. “He’s saying it’s going too slow. He voted ‘no’! He voted ‘no’ on Ukraine aid, and now he has the gall to say it’s going too slow!”

“And coming from a person who exonerated Donald Trump for extorting Zelenskyy for withholding lethal aid?” Schatz continued. “They withheld lethal aid until, unless Zelenskyy would release false smears against Joe Biden’s son. And then he voted to exonerate President Trump for this. And so spare me the new solidarity with the Ukrainians and with the free world, because this man’s record is exactly the opposite.”

“And so spare me the new solidarity with the Ukrainians and with the free world because this man’s record is exactly the opposite,” he concluded

Schatz was still fuming in an interview with The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent Friday. “Democrats need to make more noise,” Schatz told Sargent. “We have to scream from the rooftops, because this is a battle for the free world now.”