‘I Want to Beat the Sh*t Out of Him’: Susie Lee’s Bipartisan Pitch Quickly Turns Into Attack on Pete Hegseth

Rep. Susie Lee likes to describe herself as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress. But during a June appearance before the Sun City Liberal Club, Lee’s message of working across the aisle took an abrupt turn when she told supporters that hearing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testify made her want to “beat the shit out of him.”

The remarks came moments after Lee told the audience she wanted to work with Republicans.

“I want to be bipartisan. I want to work across the aisle,” Lee said before pivoting to a story about Hegseth’s appearances before her committee.

“It’s so easy. It’s so easy. Like you just wanna beat the shit out of him,” Lee said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Lee then claimed she persuaded Hegseth to dramatically increase Pentagon support for MP Materials, the rare-earth mining company headquartered in Las Vegas.

According to Lee’s account, she challenged Hegseth over why the Department of Defense had awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to an Australian company while providing significantly less support to MP Materials. Lee told the audience she appealed to Hegseth’s “America First” instincts, saying, “Secretary, I believe in made in America just like you do.”

Three weeks later, Lee claimed, the Pentagon announced a $2 billion investment in the company.

“I didn’t want to be sweet with Hegseth,” Lee told the audience. “But you got to do what you got to do to get shit done.”

Publicly available records, however, tell a more complicated story.

During a June 10, 2025, House Armed Services Committee hearing, Lee did question Hegseth about ensuring federal investments in critical minerals prioritized American companies. Hegseth responded that the department was already pursuing an America First critical minerals strategy and specifically cited MP Materials and its Mountain Pass operation as an example of the type of partnership the Pentagon wanted to support.

There was no exchange resembling the conversation Lee later described to the Sun City Liberal Club, nor did Hegseth indicate the idea originated during that hearing.

The Trump administration’s work with MP Materials also predates Lee’s claimed intervention.

According to company disclosures, administration officials began engaging with MP Materials in the spring of 2025 after China tightened export controls on rare earth minerals. Those discussions ultimately culminated in a landmark agreement announced in July under which the Department of Defense committed a major investment in the company as part of a broader effort to rebuild America’s domestic rare-earth supply chain.

Republicans say Lee is exaggerating her role.

RNC spokesman Nick Poche blasted the congresswoman, arguing the timeline undermines her account.

“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. 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.”

Republicans also point to another inconsistency.

The Pentagon’s investment in MP Materials was funded through legislation implementing President Trump’s economic agenda. Lee ultimately voted against that legislation despite later celebrating the federal investment in MP Materials and previously taking credit for earlier federal assistance provided to the company.

That isn’t the first time Republicans have accused Lee of claiming credit for programs she opposed.

The NRCC has previously criticized Lee for touting federal transit funding, infrastructure projects, and “No Tax on Tips” after voting against the legislation that made those policies possible. Republicans argue the MP Materials episode follows the same pattern: opposing legislation in Washington before attempting to celebrate the benefits back home.

Republicans also argue the Hegseth comments are part of a broader pattern, not an isolated outburst. Earlier this year, the NRCC blasted Lee after she posted a late-night attack about President Trump and the Supreme Court, accusing her of contributing to what Republicans called Democrats’ “toxic rhetoric.” The NRCC argued that Lee’s vulgar comments reflected the same escalation in political language Democrats often condemn when it comes from the right.

The committee also pointed to Lee’s repeated clashes with Democratic leadership, including reports that she participated in tense internal meetings where vulnerable Democrats confronted party leaders over messaging failures and the party’s declining standing with voters. Republicans say those episodes show Lee is not the calm, bipartisan problem-solver she portrays on campaign mailers, but a politician increasingly defined by anger, frustration, and partisan theatrics.

With Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District expected to be among the most competitive House races in the country, Republicans are betting that Lee’s comments, and her account of the MP Materials investment, will become another line of attack against a vulnerable incumbent already facing questions about her record on taxes, border security, and the economy.

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