SouthernWorldwide.com – Representative Susie Lee, a Democrat from Nevada representing a swing district, has recently drawn criticism for remarks made at a liberal audience where she expressed a desire for bipartisanship, only to later state that witnessing Pete Hegseth testify made her want to “beat the s— out of him.”
Lee, who promotes herself as a dealmaker capable of working across the aisle, made these contrasting statements during a recent appearance at the Sun City Liberal Club in Las Vegas. The discussion centered on rare earth minerals and her support for MP Materials, a local company involved in the production of critical minerals for the United States. These comments come at a crucial time as she seeks re-election in Nevada’s highly competitive 3rd Congressional District.
“I want to be bipartisan. I want to work across the aisle,” Lee told the attendees, as captured in a video recording of the event. However, shortly after, while discussing Hegseth’s testimony before her committee, she expressed a much more aggressive sentiment: “Now listen, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. Like you just wanna beat the s— out of him.”
The congresswoman further elaborated on her feelings, stating, “But you got to bite it,” when referring to her impulse to “beat the s—” out of Hegseth.
Lee’s strong language about Hegseth preceded her account of pressing the Secretary of War regarding the Pentagon’s decision to invest in an Australian company, seemingly at the expense of a U.S.-based one. She recounted how she appealed to Hegseth by emphasizing the importance of “made in America” and questioning the Pentagon’s preference for an Australian company over MP Materials, an American entity.
“Now listen, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. Like you just wanna beat the s— out of him. I mean yea, but you just got to bite it. So this is what I did – he came in front of my committee twice,” Lee explained as she detailed her efforts concerning rare earth investments.
“You got to lay on their ego, right?” she continued. “Well, three weeks later, they announced a $2 billion investment in MP Materials, okay? I didn’t want to be sweet with Hegseth, okay, I didn’t. But, you know, you got to do what you got to do to get s— done, right?”
Republicans have seized on these remarks, arguing that they expose a disconnect between Lee’s public image as a bipartisan negotiator and her private sentiments towards Trump administration officials.
“It’s unfortunate for our Republic, near our 250th birthday of this great experiment we call America, that town hall comments like this reveal the truth, and Republican voters should be warned that Democrats, if they take over the majority, will simply spend their time going after President Trump and his administration,” stated Mark Bednar, former head of communications for ex-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
Furthermore, Republicans have challenged Lee’s assertion that her interaction with Hegseth was the primary catalyst for a significant Defense Department investment in MP Materials. They accuse the Nevada Democrat of exaggerating her influence and using the anecdote to bolster her bipartisan credentials.
“Either Susie Lee believes her words contain the persuasive power of the word of God, or she’s making stuff up and being completely unhinged to boot,” commented Nick Poché, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. “Nevadans deserve a leader who will work to deliver for them, not posers whose only objective in office is to improve their stock portfolios like Susie Lee.”
Ultimately, MP Materials secured a substantial agreement with the Department of Defense. This included a $400 million Pentagon investment, which made the federal government the company’s largest shareholder, along with other commitments aimed at reinforcing the U.S. supply chain for rare earth magnets.
