In the first confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s prospective Cabinet nominees on Tuesday, Pete Hegseth positioned himself as a “change agent” to lead the Defense Department, but Democrats criticized him as unsuited for any military leadership position.
On Capitol Hill, the Senate Armed Services Committee has generally been one of the least partisan. But on Tuesday, as Democrats questioned Hegseth about his remarks toward women in the military and claims of sexual misbehavior and excessive drinking, its members clearly divided along party lines.
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and combat veteran in the Army, was hailed by Republicans as a crucial disruptor of the vast military bureaucracy.
The new chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., admitted that Hegseth was an unusual choice. However, he compared Mr. Hegseth to Trump and stated, “That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice.”
Republicans said that “woke” efforts centered on “distractions” like diversity and climate change have hindered the military’s readiness.
Hegseth promised to “rebuild our military,” re-establish deterrence, and revive the warrior spirit in his inaugural remarks.
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 equal—that’s a very different word than equitable.
However, a lengthy list of objections was voiced by Democrats on the committee. Among their worries were claims of sexual assault, financial mismanagement of nonprofit veterans organizations he oversaw, his prior hostility toward women in combat, and his inexperience managing a sizable organization.
Hegseth declined to comment on the attacks’ details, dismissing them as part of an organized smear effort in the left-wing media.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the panel’s top Democrat, stated that Hegseth would be the first defense nominee he would have voted against in his nearly three decades in the Senate. “The totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense,” Reed said.
Reed said, “Unfortunately, you lack the competence, poise, and character to serve as secretary of defense.”
The heated meeting, which was halted many times less than an hour after it started, set the tone for the dozen hearings that are also planned this week as senators compete to assist Trump in completing his government before his inauguration on Monday.
With the exception of Reed, Hegseth refused to meet with Democrats on the Armed Services Committee, indicating that he is more concerned with uniting Republican support 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.
She introduced a letter from a Hegseth supporter at the start of her questioning on Tuesday before asking if he would be in favor of women serving in combat roles going forward. appeared content when he gave a yes response.
As long as the criteria are maintained, women will be able to participate in ground combat positions, he said.
Throughout the process, Trump has supported Hegseth. Additionally, Republican senators like Ernst have been under pressure from his supporters on Capitol Hill and in outside conservative advocacy groups to back the nomination.
Ernstan declared that she would back Hegseth’s nomination just hours after the session concluded.
Nonetheless, a 2017 sexual assault accusation has alarmed lawmakers from both parties.
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.
“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.
Hegseth was questioned by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who has advocated for victims of sexual assault in the military, on how he could be in charge of a group that has a high percentage of Democrats and just 18% of active-duty soldiers are female.
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 die for this country.”
Hegseth maintained that he appreciates women who can serve in the uniform, but he added that his problem is that physical fitness requirements had been loosened to accommodate women, a claim that Gillibrand denied.
As she pressured Hegseth to respond to questions he attempted to dodge, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs when she was shot down in Iraq, raised her voice.
“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., over his tenure as the head of two nonprofit organizations for veterans, which, according to The New Yorker, came to an end 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.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, cited NBC News as saying that Hegseth’s drinking worried his Fox News coworkers.
Hegseth reiterated his pledge to abstain from alcohol as defense secretary, if confirmed, although denying having a drinking problem.