Fact Check: Did Joni Ernst expose Pete Hegseth for stolen valor by asking to see his combat badge?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the tensions in the Middle East, a claim has been circulating on social media platforms that Senator Joni Ernst asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to show a Combat Action Badge, exposing his lies about combat experience, and referred him for a stolen valor investigation. Let us fact-check the claim.
Claim: Pete Hegseth lied about combat experience
According to the claim that circulated online this month, Joni Ernst, during a Senate hearing, exposed Pete Hegseth for "stolen valor" by asking him to show his Combat Action Badge, after which he allegedly sat silently for 73 seconds before admitting he had never been in combat.
According to a YouTube video titled "Joni Ernst (Iraq Combat Vet) DESTROYS Hegseth: 'Show Me Your Combat Action Badge' | He FROZE," Ernst pulled out her own Combat Action Badge during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing and challenged Hegseth to produce his, after which she accused him of falsely claiming combat experience.
The video further alleges that Hegseth's official service record showed no combat badge, and then Ernst moved to refer him to the Defense Department inspector general for potential violations of the Stolen Valor Act.
The claim also appeared on X, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Fact Check: No evidence to support the claim
The story, however, is false as there is no evidence that proves Joni Ernst asked Pete Hegseth to show a Combat Action Badge and accused him of stolen valor or referred him to the Defense Department inspector general during a Senate hearing.
The claim contradicts Hegseth's official government biography, the committee's official hearing information, and Ernst's own public statement about her questioning.
The video also showed signs of being generated with artificial intelligence.
No confrontation occurred between Joni Ernst and Pete Hegseth
The rumor came out shortly after a real Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on April 30, 2026, where Hegseth testified about the Defense Department’s budget request for fiscal year 2027.
The committee's official hearing page showed Hegseth as a witness, but the story wrongly referred to Hegseth as the acting deputy secretary of defense.
Ernst participated in the hearing, and her statement from April 30, 2026, said she asked the Pentagon about completing a clean financial audit and also recognized retired Army Gen Randy George's service.
Her statement did not mention any confrontation over a badge, an allegation of stolen valor, or a referral to the inspector general.
News reports on the hearing focused on the defense budget, Iran, and changes in military leadership. There were no reports of any discussion regarding a Combat Action Badge.
