Letter to the editor: Hegseth ‘jagoff’ question shows lack of respect

Tribune-Review | Saturday, January 18, 2025 9:00 a.m.

Regarding the article “Pete Hegseth asked to define ‘jagoff’ at Senate confirmation hearing” (Jan. 14, TribLive): The esteem normally accorded to the U.S. Senate reached a new low when Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Defense, to define and explain the term “jagoff.” Surely the secretary’s position as it relates to national defense is much more important than to trivialize it by bringing forth such minutia and gutter talk. Reed, in doing so, exposed his own ignorance and lack of respect for long established standards of the “Upper Body” of Congress.

Wayne Baughman

Salem