Pentagon denies Pete Hegseth was chewing gum after he’s filmed munching forward of dignified switch of lifeless troops | EUROtoday

The Pentagon denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was chewing gum on Wednesday forward of a dignified switch ceremony for troops who died within the Iran warfare, after he was seen chewing as he arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

“This reporting is inaccurate,” the Defense Department mentioned in response to a reporter from The Daily Beast.

Hegseth was readily available, alongside the president, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Den Caine, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, amongst others, to honor the arrival of six fallen service members who died in a airplane crash final week above Iraqi airspace.

Officials mentioned six crew members have been aboard the KC-135 refueling airplane that went down: Maj. John A. Klinner; Capt. Ariana G. Savino; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt; Capt. Seth R. Koval; Capt. Curtis J. Angst; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons.

“Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, who knew one of many victims, mentioned in a textual content message Wednesday to The Associated Press.

The army is investigating the reason for the incident, which was not a results of “hostile or friendly fire,” in keeping with officers.

The dignified switch ceremony was reportedly closed to the media on the request of members of the family of the deceased, although the White House later printed pictures of it on X.

The Trump administration was criticized for its dealing with of a earlier dignified switch ceremony earlier this month for troopers killed in a drone assault in Kuwait, the primary U.S. deaths within the Iran warfare.

The president was photographed sporting a white baseball cap with the letters ‘USA,’ prompting criticism from those that noticed the selection as disrespectful.

Fox News was later drawn into the criticism for airing previous footage of Trump at a unique ceremony on a broadcast concerning the commemoration, a mistake the community mentioned occurred “inadvertently,” although some on-line speculated the community was attempting to cowl for the president.

A political motion committee supporting the president later used a photograph of the ceremony in a fundraising e mail, prompting a recent wave of concern.

Overall, 13 U.S. service members have died within the Iran battle, and round 200 have been injured.

The USS Gerald R Fordthe world’s largest plane provider, in the meantime, has begun crusing to Crete for repairs after a string of mechanical points, together with a hearth onboard.

The administration is grappling with rising criticism of the warfare, together with from inside its ranks.

Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned this week, saying Iran posed no “imminent threat” to the U.S.

During testimony earlier than the Senate on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declined to touch upon whether or not intelligence officers had concluded Iran was an imminent nuclear risk within the run-up to the warfare, although her written assertion steered Iranian nuclear capability had been destroyed throughout U.S. strikes final 12 months.