Overview

• After announcing he won’t seek reelection, Tillis branded unnamed White House advisers as “amateurs” and pledged to hold them accountable during his remaining term.
• He said he would not vote again to confirm Pete Hegseth, calling the defense secretary “out of his depth” and describing his pause on Ukraine weapons shipments as “amateurish.”
• Tillis warned he will oppose confirmation of any Trump nominee who excuses the January 6 Capitol demonstrators.
• Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson mocked Tillis for promoting what it called a “false narrative” and wished him well in his upcoming retirement.
• Former Vice President Mike Pence defended Hegseth against Tillis’s criticism, calling the rebuke “not fair” and praising the Pentagon’s leadership.