Fox News contributor and Marine Corps veteran Joey Jones called out Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts on Monday after Moulton referred to Vice President JD Vance as a “pogue” during a Friday CNN appearance.
Moulton, a former Marine who served four tours during the Global War on Terror, used the term while reacting to President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The cancellation followed a heated exchange between Vance and Zelensky during a meeting prior to the planned signing of a minerals deal.
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Jones, who served as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician, criticized Moulton’s use of the term as an intentional attempt to undermine Vance’s military service.
“What bothers me so much about the way Seth Moulton handled this, number one, ‘pogue’ is a very intentional word, it means ‘person other than grunt,’” Jones said on Fox & Friends after host Brian Kilmeade played a clip of Moulton’s comments.
“So what Seth Moulton is saying… he said in 2014 actually, just about a year ago, JD Vance in describing him, said he was a combat Marine, then he goes oh, I mean actually a combat cameraman. Then he said he was a Marine Corps veteran, and he says, ‘Oh I mean combat cameraman, or combat journalist.’ And so what he’s trying to do is denigrate JD Vance’s service.”
Jones went on to point out that Moulton’s remarks were dismissive of not only Vance but many other service members who did not serve in combat roles.
“To sit there and call him a ‘pogue,’ person other than grunt, maybe he doesn’t understand this, uh, Seth Moulton, I’m a pogue, I’m a person other than grunt. I wasn’t infantry. I hope that my service doesn’t come across as cowardly to you. I hope that you respect my service. You served with [Republican Rep.] Brian Mast [of Florida]. He’s a pogue, he wasn’t a grunt, he lost his legs. I watched Brian Mast recover with his hands sown to his stomach. So, I don’t know, it’s a very intentional word.”
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Mast, a Republican congressman from Florida, lost both of his legs while serving as an Army EOD technician in Afghanistan.
Jones also pointed out the historical connotation of the term, saying, “Up until World War II, it was used to describe homosexuals. So, maybe he’s a historian and trying to attack him in that way, I don’t know. But Seth Moulton needs to understand that every female Marine that served in combat, was injured in combat or killed in combat prior to 2012 was a pogue, they were a person other than a grunt.”
Jones continued by challenging Moulton’s approach to political disagreements, saying that instead of addressing policy, the congressman resorted to name-calling.
“And it just bothers me that we have a Marine Corps officer in Congress, regardless of what his policy positions are, that doesn’t have the honor, the courage, the commitment, the integrity to sit there and take issue with JD Vance’s policy position, take issue with the outcome that may come from the policies that he and President Trump make. You can’t find an intellectual argument to tell the American people why they’re wrong? You have to call them stupid names like ‘pogue’ and coward.”
Vance, who served four years in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq, worked as a combat correspondent, according to the White House website.
Jones further condemned Moulton’s remarks, stating, “I would never call Seth Moulton a coward, because it takes absolute courage or complete stupidity to go on live TV as a Marine Corps officer and call another enlisted Marine who’s risen to vice president a pogue and coward.”
He concluded by questioning Moulton’s priorities when it comes to honoring fallen service members.
“I’d love to know how much Seth Moulton cares about those 13 mostly Marines that were killed at Abbey Gate, I would imagine it’s not a topic he broaches very often, and that, that is borderline cowardice, if you ask me.”
Jones’ remarks come amid heightened tensions over military service and the way veterans are treated in political discourse.
The exchange highlights the ongoing friction between Republican and Democratic lawmakers regarding military policies, national security, and respect for service members.
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