Pete Hegseth will take the spotlight Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee in a hearing that is sure to bring fireworks.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Hegseth to be secretary of defense as he overhauls the Pentagon, but the former Fox News host has been embroiled in controversy and Democrats on the committee are questioning him. It is expected that
“Democrats are never going to make this a walk in the park,” said one Republican aide.
“You can tell the Democrats are pretty organized and thinking strategically to make sure they cover everything. It’s not a hearing that’s too repetitive,” one senior Democratic aide told Fox News Digital. spoke.
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“I don’t think it’s going to be particularly adversarial, but I do think it’s going to be very tough. It’s going to focus on what to expect from a candidate for this position and where he falls short. That’s going to happen,” said the aide. continued. “His past conduct, character and leadership are questionable.”
Hegseth will be the first of President Trump’s controversial recruitment agents to be questioned by lawmakers.
Republicans are expected to defend Mr. Hegseth, positioning him as a decorated military veteran who holds the military accountable after years of failures in auditing and DEI efforts.
With little hope of winning Democratic votes, Hegseth will need to win over moderate Republicans who have previously expressed skepticism about his nomination.
Democrats are expected to harshly criticize his past actions and his qualifications to lead the government’s largest agency, which employs 3 million people.
Pete Hegseth is scheduled to take the spotlight Tuesday at a widely anticipated Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Hundreds of veterans descend on D.C. to march in support of Pete Hegseth’s confirmation
The 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced compared to previous defense secretaries who retired as majors. But Republicans say they don’t want someone who has risen to the top and become entrenched in the Pentagon system.
Hegseth is certain to face questions about the 2017 sexual assault accusations. Hegseth has admitted to paying his accuser an undisclosed amount of money to remain silent for fear of losing his job at the time, but denies any nonconsensual sex.
The New Yorker reports that former employees of a veterans organization that Hegseth once ran have accused him of mismanagement of finances and excessive drinking, and NBC News reports that Hegseth’s drinking was reported on Fox News. It said it had caused “concern” to news colleagues.
Hegseth has denied the accusations and said he would not drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to head the Pentagon.
The hearing, which begins at 9:30 a.m., will be packed with military veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C., to support Hegseth in the face of attack.
Hegseth has been visiting the Capitol for weeks to meet with senators, including some who are skeptical of him. Last Wednesday, he met with Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, but the meeting did not appear to go well.
“Today’s meeting did not address my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers,” Reid said in a statement.
Hegseth retired from the Army National Guard in 2021. (Fox News)
Hegseth must first win a majority vote on the Armed Services Committee, which is made up of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, and could lose votes if one Republican leaves the party.
In that case, he would need a simple majority on the Senate floor. This means he can lose within three Republican votes.
“I think he knows to some extent that all he needs from now on to get this job is Republican votes,” said a Democratic aide. “His job is just to keep his head down and not say anything that will give them an opening.” [Republicans]many of them don’t really want to vote for him, to have any reason to reconsider it. Therefore, I expect him to say little and to speak very calmly and politely. ”
The committee will focus on Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Although he is a military veteran himself, he seemed hesitant about Hegseth at first. After meeting with the candidate twice, Ernst said he will support him through the confirmation process and looks forward to a fair hearing. She did not promise to vote for him.
Senators will also take a hard look at Hegseth’s long record of public comments on television and across five books.
One such belief is that women should not fight in combat roles.
“Fathers push us to take risks. Mothers put training wheels on our bikes. We need mothers. But not in the military, especially in combat units,” he wrote in his recent book, ” He writes in “The War with the Warriors.” In 2024.
Hegseth has been calling for a vote at the Capitol for weeks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“Men are breathtakingly biologically stronger, faster, bigger and, dare I say it, physically superior,” Hegseth added.
Pete Hegseth says he hasn’t heard from West Point since employees refused to accept him.
On the Nov. 7 episode of the Sean Ryan podcast, which aired just days before Hegseth was selected to be secretary of defense, Hegseth said, “I’m very clear that I don’t think women should be in combat roles.” I just want to say it.”
Hegseth later told Fox News in December that women are among America’s “greatest warriors.”
“I would also like to take the opportunity here to clarify any misconceived comments that I do not support women in the military. Some of our greatest warriors, our greatest warriors, are women. ” he said.
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She added that military women “love our country, they want to protect our flag, and they do it every day all over the world. I’m not being conceited.”
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