Hegseth Strikes Back: Clinton’s Reset Fiasco Gets No Sympathy
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired a brutal response on social media Sunday. Hillary Clinton threw shade at him, claiming he was “cowering” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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, said that under Hegseth’s leadership, U.S. Cyber Command had been ordered to “stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.” Then she added, “Wouldn’t want to hurt Putin’s feelings.”
But Hegseth wasn’t having any of it. He quickly hit back with a now-infamous image of Clinton herself—awkwardly pressing the “reset” button with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during her days as Secretary of State.
For those who don’t remember, back in March 2009, Clinton led an effort to “reset” U.S.-Russia relations for the Obama administration. Things went south when Clinton presented Lavrov with a symbolic red button labeled “reset.” The State Department botched the translation, and the button ended up reading “overcharge.” It was an embarrassing misfire that set the stage for a failed Russia policy.
Hegseth’s counterpunch was spot on. He reminded everyone that it was Clinton herself who pushed for friendlier ties with Moscow. In July 2014, Clinton even told NPR that “the reset worked”—though she later contradicted herself on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria by claiming to have been “the most skeptical” of the policy.
The bigger picture here is clear. The Trump administration is determined to de-escalate tensions with Russia, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands firm on peace talks and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for more boots on the ground in Ukraine. Clinton, who has always favored an aggressive interventionist stance, is now attacking Hegseth for trying to prevent a wider war.
Clinton had her chance to shape foreign policy. From Benghazi to her infamous Russia reset, her record speaks volumes. Hegseth, however, is steering clear of those endless mistakes. Republicans know it’s time to stop following Clinton’s flawed playbook and start focusing on real, strong strategies.
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