In Unusual Move, Hegseth to Campaign for Trump Ally

A Trump-backed rival to Rep. Thomas Massie is getting some unusual help from the administration on Monday. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth plans to make at least two campaign stops for Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who is challenging the incumbent in Kentucky, reports the Louisville Courier Journal. The primary is Tuesday. The New York Times sees Hegseth's involvement as "extraordinary" given that top Pentagon officials have traditionally avoided campaigning for candidates to keep the military neutral.

Pentagon officials insist the stop is aboveboard. "Secretary Hegseth is attending this event in his personal capacity," said spokesman Sean Parnell, adding that the trip has been vetted by Pentagon lawyers and won't use taxpayer money. Massie has opposed key Trump priorities often enough that the president wants him out of office. The race, one of the most expensive in House history, is being closely watched to see if Trump can exact political revenge here in the same way he did over the weekend in Louisiana.