Representative Matt Gaetz on Tuesday continued attacking Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin following a contentious exchange at a House Armed Services Committee hearing which ended with the two men shouting at each other after Mr Gaetz criticised the US military for what he described as “woke-ism” at the cost of combat readiness.

       Mr Gaetz, a Florida Republican who is reportedly under investigation for alleged child sex trafficking, used his allotted five minutes of question time at a hearing on the 2023 US defence budget to berate Mr Austin, a former head of US Central Command who retired from the US Army as a four-star general, about a guest lecture at the National Defence University — a US Army staff college — delivered by French economist Thomas Picketty.

       He also complained about what he described as “blown calls” by the Pentagon, including a supposed failure to predict Ukraine’s successful resistance against Russia’s invasion, and accused the Defence Department of “embracing” Critical Race Theory and “mandatory pronoun training” while “everyone else in the world seems to be developing capabilities and being more strategic,” leaving Mr Austin to reply: “I’m sorry you are embarrassed by your country”.

       The exchange between the two men attracted significant attention on social media, including from one of Mr Austin’s former subordinates, retired US Army General Mark Hertling.

       Mr Hertling, who served under Mr Austin in Iraq before serving as the commander of US Army Europe and the US Seventh Army, wrote: “Here’s the thing, Matt Gaetz — SecDef [Mr Austin] was my leader in tough combat, and he inspires me daily. Perhaps you’ve never had a life experience where character is exhibited”.

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       A short time later, Mr Gaetz responded, attacking the retired general as a “NatSec media hack” and calling Mr Austin “no inspiration”.

       “He is a failure serving an addled president,” he added.

       Mr Gaetz’s clash with Mr Austin earlier this week cause consternation on social media, with ex-CIA officer likening the congressman to a “clownish buffoon”.