Washington At his hearing before the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Senate Republicans welcomed Pete Hegseth and indicated that they would support President-elect Donald Trump’s beleaguered secretary of defense candidate.
Hegseth’s nomination was marred by a number of scandals going into the hearing, including claims of excessive drinking and sexual assault, both of which he has denied, and previous statements that women shouldn’t serve in battle, which he has subsequently recanted.
Republicans, however, left the more than four-hour interrogation Tuesday feeling hopeful that the former Fox News anchor and Army combat veteran will be confirmed as the Pentagon’s commander. His confirmation will require the support of 50 senators, as the GOP now holds 53 Senate seats.
According to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., he conducted himself in a very professional manner and presented a compelling case for why he should be the next secretary of defense.
These are the main conclusions drawn from Trump’s incoming Cabinet’s initial confirmation hearing.
Joni Ernst, a key Republican vote, plays nice
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has long been viewed as a key figure in Hegseth’s run for 50 votes since she has voiced concerns about him as a war veteran and sexual assault survivor. She did little to oppose Hegseth on Tuesday.
She started by recording their extremely fruitful and candid discussions and adding a letter from a Hegseth supporter to the file. Regarding ensuring that the Pentagon can pass an audit in the future, she questioned him. Hegseth responded in the yes, just as you mentioned, when she questioned if women should be allowed to serve in combat situations. He responded that he had already assured her that he would designate a senior officer devoted to sexual assault prevention, saying, “As we have discussed, yes, I will.”
Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2026, has been under intense pressure from Trump supporters to support Hegseth since her early doubts about his selection surfaced. She hasn’t been very eager to defy the president-elect lately.
Tim Kaine grills Hegseth on character
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., posed perhaps the most aggressive line of inquiry, bringing up Hegseth’s personal transgressions to cast doubt on his moral fiber and his loyalty.
You claim to have been exonerated of all charges, but how can you so nonchalantly cheat on a second wife and the mother of a child born two months prior? Kaine questioned him. Less than two months after that girl was born, you cheated on her mother, didn’t you?
A settlement and payment to the lady who accused him of sexual assault was downplayed by Hegseth, who said it was the outcome of a nuisance action. The infidelity was not denied by him.
Kaine informed him, “You have taken an oath, just as you would take an oath to serve as secretary of defense and to be faithful to your wife at all of your weddings.”
Fortunately, my lord and savior, Jesus, has redeemed me despite my failures in life. Hegseth answered.
Republicans jump to Hegseth s defense
Following Kaine, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., leaped to Hegseth’s defense.
Cramer informed him angrily, “I’m sorry for what has been happening to you.”
It wasn’t just him. Kaine and other Hegseth critics on the panel were also targeted by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.
The senator from Virginia begins to raise the question, “What if you arrived at work intoxicated?” How many senators have cast nighttime ballots while intoxicated? Have any of you requested that they quit from their position? “I said.” How many senators do you know who cheated on their wives before getting divorced? Have you asked them to resign?
Everybody has made errors. Mullin acknowledged that he had made mistakes. “Jennifer, thank you for loving him through that mistake,” he added, referring to Hegseth’s wife, “because my wife loved me too, and that’s the only reason I’m here and not in prison.”
The remarks demonstrated how, following a rocky beginning to the confirmation process, some Republicans had come together in support of Hegseth.
Culture war rhetoric dominates
Using terminology from the MAGA movement, Hegseth frequently praised Trump and attacked President Joe Biden’s administration during the hearing. He claimed to be the target of a smear campaign and spoke out against left-wing media in America as well as left-wing woke universities.
And we were aware that it wasn’t about me; rather, the majority of it was about President Donald Trump, who has endured the same thing for a lot longer, Hegseth said. And he did so with extraordinary fortitude.
Hegseth repeatedly dismissed the idea that Trump may violate the U.S. Constitution when Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., pressed him on whether the commander in chief could issue orders that would violate the Constitution.
I get it. Slotkin remarked, “You’ve done your genuflecting to him.”
Democrats press Hegseth on women in combat
Hegseth’s previous comments that women shouldn’t serve in combat roles were criticized by a number of Democrats.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called it a foolish thing to say, saying it is beneath the position you are aiming for.
“We currently have hundreds and hundreds of women serving in the infantry, and they are deadly members of our military,” she remarked. However, you denigrate them. You claim that the military, particularly combat groups, does not need mothers.
Since then, Hegseth has moderated his stance against women in the military. He claimed that his opinions, both recently and before, and based on his own experience, have been influenced by situations in which he has witnessed standards being reduced.
Hegseth’s previous positions also drew criticism from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who lost her legs while serving in combat after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq.
You can’t seem to understand that without the amazing women we serve—women who deserve to be in their units—the U.S. military would not exist as it does today, Duckworth added. You are not deserving of the position of secretary of defense.