Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a brutal response to Hillary Clinton on Sunday after she took to social media to mock him for allegedly “cowering” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Clinton, the twice-failed presidential candidate and longtime advocate for interventionist foreign policy, attempted to taunt Hegseth over reports that the Trump administration is dialing back cyber operations against Russia.
It all started when Clinton posted a Gizmodo article titled, “Trump’s Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders Cyber Command to ‘Stand Down’ on All Russia Operations.” The article, citing anonymous sources, claimed that under Hegseth’s leadership, U.S. Cyber Command had been ordered to “stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.” Clinton sarcastically added, “Wouldn’t want to hurt Putin’s feelings.”
Her comment was clearly meant to imply that Hegseth and the Trump administration were capitulating to Russia. However, her attempt at a political hit job quickly backfired when Hegseth responded with a now-infamous image of Clinton herself—awkwardly pressing the “reset” button with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during her time as Secretary of State.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 2, 2025
For those who don’t remember, back in March 2009, Clinton led an effort to “reset” U.S.-Russia relations on behalf of the Obama administration. The initiative got off to a rocky start when Clinton presented Lavrov with a symbolic red button labeled “reset.” The only problem? The State Department botched the translation, and instead of saying “reset” in Russian, the button read “overcharge.” The embarrassing gaffe set the tone for the administration’s failed Russia policy.
Hegseth’s response was a perfect counterpunch, reminding everyone that it was Clinton herself who once championed friendlier ties with Moscow. In fact, in July 2014, Clinton even told NPR that “the reset worked”—only to contradict herself just days later in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, where she claimed to have been “the most skeptical” of the policy.
The broader context here is important. The Trump administration has been focused on de-escalating tensions with Russia, particularly as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refuses to engage in meaningful peace negotiations. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is calling for boots on the ground in Ukraine, and Clinton—who has always leaned toward aggressive foreign intervention—is attacking Hegseth for attempting to prevent a wider war.
Clinton had her chance to shape foreign policy, and the results were disastrous. From Benghazi to her failed Russia reset, her record speaks for itself. Hegseth, on the other hand, seems determined to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
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