Pete Hegseth clashes with Jason Crow over claims he misled Trump: ‘Huge waste of your five minutes’

WASHINGTON, DC: A tense congressional hearing turned combative after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was accused of misleading President Donald Trump, sparking a fiery back-and-forth with Democratic Rep Jason Crow.

The exchange unfolded on Wednesday, April 29, as Crow pressed Hegseth over questions tied to attorney Tim Parlatore and a potential conflict of interest.

Jason Crow confronts Pete Hegseth over Parlatore

Crow’s questioning centered on whether Parlatore had been appointed in connection with a White House investigation in 2025 and whether he had later been removed.

Hegseth denied any knowledge of such developments, saying he was not aware of the investigation and had not been removed from it.

“You're not aware of it. That's interesting. Well, is it true that Mr Parlatore disparaged President Trump?” Crow asked, trying to push the line of questioning further.

Hegseth responded by again saying he wasn’t aware, appearing to smile and even laugh at parts of the exchange, which only seemed to frustrate Crow further.

The congressman then escalated his questioning, asking, “Is it true that Mr Parlatore was accused by President Trump and his lawyers of lying?”

Pete Hegseth dismisses Jason Crow questioning as stunt

As the questions continued, Hegseth appeared increasingly irritated, dismissing the line of inquiry altogether.

“What you're accused of is acute line of questioning that's going nowhere,” he said, brushing off Crow’s concerns and calling the exchange “a stunt.”

The remark further intensified the situation, with Crow refusing to back down and instead doubling down on his concerns about Hegseth’s actions and loyalty.

The hearing room grew visibly tense as both men began talking over each other, with Hegseth interrupting and pushing back strongly against the accusations.

Jason Crow says Pete Hegseth undermined Trump

Crow made it clear that his main concern was what he described as a gap between Hegseth’s stated loyalty to Trump and his alleged actions behind the scenes.

“Secretary Hegseth, what I'm really concerned about is you purport to have unfaltering loyalty to President Trump, and yet you are continuously going...” Crow began before being cut off.

Hegseth fired back sharply, saying, “Oh you care a lot about President Trump, don't you? This is a cute, huge waste of your five minutes.”

But Crow continued, delivering his most direct accusation of the exchange.

“You are repeatedly going behind President Trump's back, appointing people who he has accused of lying, who the White House has accused of lying. And you are not being honest with President Trump,” he said.