During Tuesday’s first confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s new Cabinet, Pete Hegseth presented himself as a “change agent” to head the Defense Department, while Democrats criticized him as unsuited for any military leadership position.
Hegseth stated in his introductory speech that if he were confirmed as defense secretary, his objectives would be to rebuild our military, restore the warrior mentality, and reestablish deterrence.
Politics shouldn’t be involved in military affairs, unlike the current administration. Hegseth declared, “We are American warriors, not Republicans or Democrats.” Our expectations will be high, and they will be equal—which is a very different phrase than equitable.
The heated meeting, which was repeatedly disrupted by protesters less than an hour after it started, set the tone for the dozen hearings that are also planned this week as senators scramble to assist Trump in completing his government before his inauguration on Monday.
The incoming chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said that Hegseth is an unusual candidate, but compared him to Trump and suggested that might be what makes him a great option.
According to Wicker, the Pentagon needs a disruptor who will quickly put an end to divisive distractions like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
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Trump’s new national security advisor, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., presented Hegseth during the hearing and commended his military background, saying that he would be the first Pentagon chief to have been a junior officer on the front lines of battle.
Hegseth, who was appointed to head the enormous Defense Department, has denied accusations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement while he was in charge of a veterans advocacy group. He has been under fire for his previous resistance to allowing openly gay individuals and women to serve in combat, which he has now retracted.
Hegseth rejected Wicker’s charges, calling them a “coordinated smear campaign” in the “left-wing media.”
Others are worried that Hegseth lacks the managerial skills necessary to run the vast military bureaucracy, which has a budget of over $800 billion and employs over 2.1 million people.
Trump has defended Hegseth in the face of the criticism, declaring that he has his complete support. Republican senators have been under pressure from Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill and in outside conservative organizations to back the nominee.
With the exception of the ranking member, Hegseth refused to meet with Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, indicating that he is more concerned with gaining support from Republicans than gaining substantial bipartisan support. In the Senate, which is evenly divided, he cannot afford to lose a lot of GOP votes.
Joni Ernst, a sexual assault survivor and military veteran from Iowa who has previously expressed doubts about Hegseth’s candidacy, will provide a crucial vote on the Armed Services Committee.
Before asking him if he would support women serving in combat situations, she introduced a letter from a Hegseth supporter. She appeared pleased when he replied in the affirmative.
As long as the criteria are maintained, women will be able to participate in combat positions on the ground, he said.
Concerns have been raised by senators from both parties regarding a sexual assault accusation from 2017. Before forcing himself on her following a political gathering in Monterey, California, Hegseth allegedly stole her phone and prevented her from leaving his hotel room, according to a female employee of a Republican women’s organization. Hegseth agreed to pay an undisclosed amount after she told the police about the incident.
Three people with firsthand knowledge of the report’s contents claim that the FBI background check on Hegseth, which was given to the chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee late last week, omits interviews with the lady and Hegseth’s ex-wives.
Hegseth has stated that the relationship was consensual, and his attorney stated that he firmly believed he was the victim of innocent collateral damage and blackmail in a falsehood that the Complainant was clinging to in order to preserve her marriage.
That romance took place while Hegseth was still married to his second wife and soon after the birth of a child from a different affair between Hegseth and a coworker, according to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
“It was a false claim,” Hegseth insisted, repeating the assault accusation several times: “I was cleared.”
“When you can so casually cheat on your second wife and the mother of a child you had fathered two months prior, I’m shocked you would stand here and say you were completely cleared,” Kaine said. “Is it true that you have sworn allegiance at each of your weddings? As secretary of defense, you would swear an oath to uphold the Constitution.
Hegseth was backed by Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, who accused his fellow senators of hypocrisy.
How many senators have cast nighttime ballots while intoxicated? “You have seen it, so don’t tell me you haven’t,” he continued. “How many senators have you heard of who have divorced because they cheated on their wives? … You guys hold yourselves to such high standards, which is absurd.
Democratic Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who have supported survivors of sexual assault in the military for over ten years, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire questioned Hegseth about how he could be in charge of a group that has a high percentage of Democrats and only 18% of active-duty soldiers are women.
Gillibrand stated that she was aware that Hegseth had previously made contentious remarks while working at a different employment. However, she pointed out that he stated in a podcast interview as late as November that the United States shouldn’t have women in combat jobs because men are more qualified for those tasks, even though he should have known he could be called upon by the incoming Trump administration.
Gillibrand added, “Please explain these kinds of statements because they are cruel, mean, and disrespectful to men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives for this country.”
Although Hegseth maintained that he appreciates women who can serve in the uniform, he stated that physical fitness requirements have been decreased to accommodate women, a claim that Gillibrand denied.
Raising her voice, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs after being shot down in Iraq, forced Hegseth to respond to questions he attempted to dodge.
“You say you don’t want to lower standards [for women] in order to keep our forces strong,” she remarked. We shouldn’t lower our standards for you, then.
Hegseth was questioned by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., about his experience managing two charity organizations for veterans, which, according to The New Yorker, ended when he was fired due to issues with his handling of donor cash and conduct at work.
“I am proud of my management and every dollar spent at the organizations,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth’s drinking worried his Fox News coworkers, according to an NBC News story cited by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.
Hegseth reiterated his vow to abstain from alcohol while serving as defense secretary, if verified, but denied having a drinking problem.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the panel’s top Democrat, stated that Hegseth’s prior transgressions would preclude any service member from serving in a leadership role in the military, much less the top position at the Pentagon.
Despite having voted for every defense secretary nominee before him, including during Trump’s first term, the longstanding member and former chairman of the Armed Services Committee said he was unable to back Hegseth.
Reed remarked, “Unfortunately, you lack the competence, poise, and character necessary to serve as secretary of defense.”