Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday closed out his third and final day of hearings on Capitol Hill with several clashes with lawmakers as he dodged questions on invading Greenland, Ukraine aid, his use of the app Signal, and troop deployment in Los Angeles.

Hegseth, in his first appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, was quickly hit with queries from panel Democrats, starting with ranking member Adam Smith (Wash.). Smith pressed the Pentagon chief on whether it is the Defense Department’s policy that the U.S. military be prepared to take Greenland or Panama by force.

Hegseth would not rule out the possibility of a future military invasion of the Arctic territory and Central American country, suggesting to lawmakers the Pentagon could have such plans and that the U.S. has an interest in protecting both areas from Chinese influence.

The Defense Department “plans for any particular contingency” he said, adding that “I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything.”

The answer caused Smith to scoff, replying: “I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland. I’m going to go out on a limb on that one."

Smith also warned that the Trump administration is sending a message to the rest of the world “that the U.S. is purely in it for itself and does not care about alliances" in seeking to take over its ally countries.

President Trump for months has floated the possibility of using military force to take over Greenland and Panama by refusing to rule........

© The Hill