CIA Director Ratcliffe Turns CA Dem into a Stammering Mess Over Pete Hegseth Smear [WATCH]

A tense exchange took place during a House hearing on Wednesday when California Democrat Rep. Jimmy Gomez attempted to smear Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by suggesting he was intoxicated during a discussion of classified military operations.

Gomez’s attempt to undermine Hegseth was swiftly shut down by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who strongly refuted the accusation.

The controversy stems from an incident where Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, made claims regarding a secure Signal group chat involving National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and others.

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Goldberg alleged that he was “accidentally” added to the chat, where top Trump administration officials discussed military operations targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Goldberg further implied that these discussions were “war plans,” sparking media attention.

Goldberg, who has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, claimed he took screenshots of the conversation and leaked them to the media, attempting to expose the details of the operation.

The Trump team quickly denied any involvement in discussing military operations, calling Goldberg’s claims false.

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Despite the pushback, Goldberg and his colleague Shane Harris published further details, including references to the military operation, initially calling them “war plans” but later referring to them as “attack plans.”

However, their efforts backfired when the admission inadvertently validated the Trump team’s original response. Goldberg’s shifting terminology from “war plans” to “attack plans” only raised further questions, weakening his credibility and bolstering Team Trump’s stance that no classified information was compromised.

In light of the controversy, Rep. Gomez sought to discredit Hegseth during the House hearing, attempting to link him to the leaks by questioning whether he had been drinking before allegedly leaking classified information.

First, Gomez asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, “To your knowledge, do you know if Pete Hegseth had been drinking before leaking classified information?” Gabbard responded that she did not know, prompting Gomez to direct the same question to Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe’s response was direct and firm, calling Gomez’s questioning offensive.

“I think that’s an offensive line of questioning. The answer is no,” Ratcliffe said, expressing his frustration with the insinuation.

“I find it interesting that you…” Gomez interrupted, visibly triggered, and declared, “I yield back, you’re wasting my time!”

Ratcliffe wasn’t done, firing back, “You don’t want to answer. You don’t want to focus on the good work that the CIA is doing!” Gomez attempted to defend himself, asserting his respect for the CIA and the U.S. military, but his focus remained on Hegseth, further dismissing the CIA’s accomplishments.

Undeterred, Ratcliffe took the opportunity to shut down Gomez’s baseless claims, asking, “Was his performance compromised because of a successful strike? You want to talk about accepting responsibility for a successful strike making Americans safer?”

Gomez, unable to respond, resorted to the only phrase he could muster: “I reclaim my time.”

.@RepJimmyGomez outrageously implies @SecDef was drunk during the successful Houthi strikes, going so far as to repeat a delusional (and debunked) conspiracy theory that he “stood in front of a podium in Europe holding a drink” (it was WATER).

Shame on you, Jim. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/miigymCauu

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 26, 2025

The exchange ended with Gomez retreating from his line of questioning, leaving Ratcliffe with the last word.

This tense moment during the hearing highlights the ongoing political battles over the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive national security matters.

Despite attempts to undermine Hegseth’s credibility, Ratcliffe’s pointed response only reinforced the success of the military operation and left Gomez with no credible answer to his accusations.

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