Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday campaigned alongside former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who is challenging Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in the GOP primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.

Hegseth faced scrutiny for campaigning for a political candidate while serving as the active defense secretary, which some people claimed constitutes a Hatch Act violation.

“Secretary Hegseth is attending this event in his personal capacity,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill.

“No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit. His participation has been thoroughly vetted and cleared by lawyers, including the Department of War Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal statute,” the statement continued.

“At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing. At some point, constant obstruction is not leadership, it’s just commentary. It’s obstruction. President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party,” Hegseth said.

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“He needs people willing to help him win. To vote with him when it matters the most. And too often Thomas Massie has acted like his job is to stand apart from the movement that President Trump leads instead of strengthening it. When President Trump needs backup, Massie wants to debate process. When the movement needs unity, especially at the biggest moment, Massie’s willing to vote with Democrats,” Hegseth continued.

“When conservatives are fighting the most radical left in American history, too often Massie’s instinct is to throw elbows at fellow Republicans instead of the people who are destroying our country or want to destroy our country. And there’s one man standing in their way and it’s President Trump,” he added.

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The Hill shared further:

Hegseth has been accused of potentially violating the Hatch Act in stumping for former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, the Trump-backed GOP candidate challenging Massie. Under federal law, executive branch employees — with the exception of the president and vice president — are limited in using government resources or their official titles for partisan political activity.

The appearance also would mark an unprecedented breach of the tradition that a serving Defense secretary stay away from such political activities to maintain the military’s apolitical image.

Retired Army Reserve and counterintelligence expert Lawrence Sellin wrote on X that if Hegseth “in his official capacity as Defense Secretary intervenes in a Congressional primary . . . it is a violation of the Hatch Act and should be immediately removed from office.”

The “Deep State” was “setting up Pete Hegseth to violate the Hatch Act” with his campaign appearance, conservative operative Ivan Raiklin wrote on X.

But the Pentagon chief’s office pushed back on any idea that the campaign stop was unethical.

Hegseth will already be in Kentucky on Monday as part of official duties to award Purple Heart medals to 101st Airborne Division soldiers and to administer the oath of enlistment to 190 reenlistees at Fort Campbell.

“For the lawyers, I’m up here in a personal capacity,” Hegseth said while taking the stage, according to WLWT.

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“Kentucky has a choice in this race: you can send a warrior, reinforcements for the president in our shared fight against the radical left, or you can send an obstructionist,” Hegseth said.

“In my mind, it’s an easy choice,” he added.

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“Dueling political rallies are taking place today, in one of the most closely watched races this primary season. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joins Ed Gallrein at an event near CVG as Thomas Massie campaigns in Mays Lick,” WLWT noted.

WLWT has more:

“Ed Gallrein’s record speaks for itself. Thomas Massie’s record speaks for itself, too: Too much grandstanding, too few great votes,” Hegseth said.

The defense secretary ended his remarks with a call to voters.

“Now, America needs to bring more of that same spirit into the halls of Congress. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines. President Trump is leading the fight to restore American greatness, and what he needs and what he deserves: he needs reinforcements. He needs to bolster our ranks, not obstructionism. he has enough obstruction from Democrats, he needs reinforcements from Republicans.”

Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, is currently running for the Republican nomination for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, a seat that has been held by Rep. Thomas Massie since 2012.

The rally comes as Massie has been President Donald Trump’s top target within the Republican Party that he has sought to replace in Congress during his second term in office. Over the past year, Massie has frequently gone against the GOP’s congressional ranks to vote against key parts of the Trump administration’s agenda, including by casting votes against the Iran War, tariffs, and “The Big Beautiful Bill.” Massie also spearheaded the release of the federal government’s files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein last fall, a move that repeatedly drew the president’s ire on social media.

Massie made multiple stops on the campaign trail Monday in Mason, Greenup and Lewis counties, meeting with attendees and speaking to voters.

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