Two words went unspoken by either Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth or Republican congressman Ed Gallrein at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Hebron, Kentucky, on Monday.

But one word could be used to describe the smiling, self-described “Secretary of War” as he violated the traditional separation of the military and politics; a word he could never bring himself to accept.

Hegseth was there to reinforce Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein’s bid to unseat incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie in Tuesday’s Republican primary. Massie has become Trump’s least favorite, in part for forcing a vote on releasing the Epstein files, but also for voicing opposition to the war that went unmentioned at the event.

A testament to the conflict’s continuing effect was posted at the Shell station a mile away, where regular was selling for just over $5 a gallon even after the state suspended the gas tax.

But for an hour early Monday afternoon, the hotel conference room was a realm of artificial ignorance. Hegseth sought to stave off suggestions of impropriety by saying at the start that he was appearing “in my personal capacity as a private citizen.”

During his appearance, Hegseth dared to venture an SNL-esque impersonation of President Donald Trump. He turned giddy as people sometimes do when they have gotten away with crossing a line.

“President Trump told me when he first offered me this job, he said, “Pete, you’re gonna have to be tough as s--t...They’re really gonna come after you.”

Hegseth was back to impersonating himself when he spoke about “dudes in dresses,” drawing titters from the........

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