Tuesday’s hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the next defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is anticipated to be dominated by personal problems and culture warfare.
At 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and Army combat veteran, will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee, becoming the first of Trump’s Cabinet nominees to be publicly questioned by lawmakers. As senators scramble to assist Trump in completing his government before his inauguration on Monday, there are also about a dozen additional hearings planned for this week.
Trump’s new national security advisor, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and former Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn, will introduce Hegseth during the hearing.
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Hegseth intends to state in his prepared opening remarks that his objectives are to rebuild our military, reestablish deterrence, and restore the warrior mentality.
“Political interference in military affairs should be avoided, in contrast to the current administration. Hegseth will declare, “We are American fighters, not Republicans or Democrats. “Our standards will be high, and they will be equal (not equitable, that is a very different word).”
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.
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.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., stated on Monday, “We’re going to get him across the finish line, even though he will be ripped, demeaned, and talked about.”
In the closely divided Senate, Hegseth cannot afford to lose a large number of GOP votes, as Democrats are expected to provide little to no support. The support of Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a sexual assault survivor and military veteran who has been dubious of Hegseth’s candidacy, will be crucial on the Armed Services Committee.
Outside the panel, special attention is also paid to two Senate Republican women who are frequently viewed as moderates: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
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.
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.
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.
In addition, Hegseth’s mother accused him of texting women after his second divorce, but she later denied the claims, referring to her son as a “changed man,” and she now backs his nomination.
Collins and other senators have said that they had fruitful talks with Hegseth, and that he exceeded their expectations.
However, Democrats are anticipated to chastise Trump and Hegseth for appointing him to head the Pentagon.
On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, described Hegseth’s past as “deeply troubling.”
“Mr. Hegseth will have an opportunity to answer questions about these allegations and about his record, as well as his views,” Schumer stated. “He can expect this his hearing to be tough but respectful, candid but fair.”