Who?
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) — US Army veteran; West Point graduate
LISTEN: Laslo & Ryan
Ask a Pol asks:
What do you make of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest firing of Secretary of the Navy John Phelan?
Key Ryan:
“It’s more Hegseth score-settling,” Rep. Pat Ryan exclusively tells Ask a Pol Politics. “The Hegseth revenge tour — in the middle of a war; in the middle of a naval blockade.”
Like, Hegseth’s kinda a lil b****, like the way he berates the press and stuff.*
“Hegseth, who pretends to be tough, has the thinnest skin and is weak sauce,” Ryan says.
*Prof. Laslo’s fine getting berated by public officials, but he’s protective of the next generation of journalists, especially when lectured and lied to by made-for-TV-men…
Find Ask a Pol on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram!
ICYMI — Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo 1st used this interview for his LCB wire service client, Raw Story
Caught our ear:
“I’m not just saying this, like every military officer and senior leader knows he’s a joke,” Ryan tells us. “He’s a performance artist. So they all do not take him seriously.
“A lot of it is his insecurity, but basically he felt like [the Navy Secretary] had too direct a line to the president, so he fired him.”
What should we ask Congress next?
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol‘s exclusive interview with Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Pat Ryan (4-23-2026)
SCENE: After voting on the floor of the House of Representatives, US Army veteran and West Point grad, Rep. Pat Ryan, is walking back to his office across the street when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches catches up to him for a candid conversation about recent upheaval at the Pentagon.
Matt Laslo: “Hey, Mr. Ryan. How are you?”
Rep. Pat Ryan: “Hey, what’s up?”
Laslo: “What do you make of this firing of the Secretary of the Navy?”
Ryan: “It’s more Hegseth score-settling.”
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT*
PSA: Student? Unemployed? Underemployed?
Ping us for a free VIP subscription. No questions asked.
