@LauraLoomer
🚨 TRUMP ADMIN VETTING CRISIS CONTINUED 🚨
EXCLUSIVE: How the Department of Defense under
@PeteHegseth
is at risk of possibly being subverted and obstructed by Earl Matthews
@EarlMat55106636
, the nominee for General Counsel of the DOD
@DeptofDefense
As the general counsel for the National Guard, Earl Matthews was the lawyer involved in dismissing Pete Hegseth from the DC national guard over false accusations that Hegseth has a “white supremacist” tattoo. Now, Earl Matthews has been nominated to be Hegseth’s top lawyer at the Pentagon, which is another vetting failure.
Today, April 08, 2025, Earl Matthews, who is essentially John Bolton and Mark Milley’s errand boy, faced the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing as the nominee for General Counsel of the Department of Defense. If he is confirmed, Matthews would be the Pentagon’s top lawyer.
The hearing, held in SD-G50 at 9:30 AM EST, also covered nominations for other big DoD roles—like Bradley Hansell for Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Matthews’ worked closely with Trump hater John Bolton
@AmbJohnBolton
during Bolton’s tenure as National Security Adviser under the first Trump admin. Trump fired John Bolton, and often refers to Bolton as “the dumbest person I’ve ever met.”
Matthews held senior roles at the National Security Council, navigating policy and legal challenges alongside Bolton.
Matthews also served under Trump hater General Mark Milley during the Trump administration, notably as senior legal counsel to the D.C. National Guard on January 6, 2021. Earl Matthews’s proximity to Milley and his admiration for Milley raises a concern regarding loyalty, given the fact that Milley told the Chinese he would warn them ahead of any action President Trump might take against them. President Trump accused Milley of committing treason.
Upon being sworn in as Defense Secretary,
@SecDef
Pete Hegseth removed Milley’s security detail and his clearance was revoked due to his treasonous actions with the Chinese.
Earl, as an Army guy & Bolton’s NSC Senior Director for Defense, was the point person to name Army General Mark Milley Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
After the stolen election, Earl Matthews wrote a Dec 2020 op-ed in the Washington Post in favor of Lloyd Austin
@SecDefAustin
(a fellow Army officer) becoming Defense Secretary under Joe Biden so he could ingratiate himself & try to get a promotion in the Biden admin.
Adding more concern as to whether or not Matthews will be loyal to the Trump admin, Matthews has publicly criticized Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defense Secretary pick, calling him unfit for leadership due to his lack of deep military legal experience & accusing him of politicizing the Pentagon—which is ironic, given Matthews’ own outspokenness on several political issues, including his support for Biden renaming confederate military bases, a WOKE DEI INITIATIVE THAT TRUMP OPPOSES!
Pete Hegseth was barred in 2021 from serving in support of Joe Biden's inauguration as a National Guard member after an intelligence officer posted concerns to social media about his tattoo.
Earl Matthews served a the Staff Judge Advocate to MG Walker who presided over Pete Hegseth’s dismissal from the National Guard. Hegseth’s dismissal could not have been done without Earl Matthews’s involvement & clearance since he was the counsel for the National Guard, & he was on the CC line of the emails pertaining to Hegseth’s politically motivated dismissal.
Following the January 6 protests at the Capitol, Matthews made waves with a 36-page memo he sent to Congress, slamming General Charles Flynn
@GENCharlieFlynn
(brother of General Michael Flynn
@GenFlynn
) & Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt as “absolute” & unmitigated liars” over their testimony regarding the National Guard.
Is it a good idea for the next General Counsel for the DOD to be a Hegseth hater given the fact that Hegseth is the Defense Secretary? 🤨
RECEIPTS👇🏻
https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1909752428775588167/photo/4