Susie Lee Says She Wanted to 'Beat' Hegseth as $2 Billion MP Materials Deal Looms
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 3
Susie Lee Says She Wanted to 'Beat' Hegseth as $2 Billion MP Materials Deal Looms
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 3
Summary
Video from a June 1 Las Vegas event shows Rep. Susie Lee telling a liberal club she wanted to "beat the s--- out of" Pete Hegseth moments after saying she wanted to work across the aisle.
Lee made the remark while recounting how she pressed Hegseth over Pentagon support for rare-earth companies, saying she flattered him in hearings and that weeks later a $2 billion investment in Nevada-based MP Materials was announced.
Her office said she put aside differences with Hegseth to secure jobs and lower costs for constituents, while also blaming him and President Trump for making Americans less safe and raising gas and grocery prices.
Republicans seized on the comments in Lee's closely divided Nevada district, arguing they undercut her bipartisan image and disputing her claim that she helped drive the Pentagon-backed MP Materials deal.
The episode revives scrutiny over Lee's rhetoric after an April expletive-filled anti-Trump post, as she seeks re-election in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.