I'm Marissa Wong, Internet Lawfare, with an episode from the Lawfare

for January 24, 2006. January 20th marked the first full year of President Trump's second term. Also, in the past

three weeks, the use of force in U.S. international relations has increasingly been the subject of

headlines, including the military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President

Nicolas Maduro and the threats

of U.S. strikes in Iran due to the government's brutal crackdown on its protesters. For today's

archive, I chose an episode from January 15, 2025, in which Benjamin Wittes spoke with Anna Bauer

about the Senate confirmation hearing of Pete Hegeth for Secretary of Defense. The discussion touches on Heggseth's attitude towards directives to use force and his America First stands. Please. It's the Lawfare podcast.

I'm Benjamin Wittes Law Fares editor-in-chief with senior editor-Bowler.

That, to me, is a really kind of disturbing anecdote for someone to tell is about to be the

Secretary of Defense because instilling, you know, the belief amongst people in the military

that rules of engagement matter and that the laws of war matters seems really important.

In a live recording on January 14th, we discussed the confirmation hearing for Pete Hegeseth

by the Senate Armed Services Committee, which considered Hegset's nomination as Secretary of Defense

on Tuesday morning.

Let's start, as we always do, Anna, with the line.

How was the line to get into the Pete Hegsseth hearing?

Well, actually, so Ben, what I've discovered is that being a congressional reporter who has a reserve seat in a committee confirmation hearing

room, it means that you don't have to do crazy things, like show up 24 hours before the events

and start a line.

So are you now one of these like pampered East Coast elites who just

goes to your assigned seat and acts all entitled while the scrappy hardworking reporter with

...