The first confirmation hearings of members of Donald Trump’s government begin Tuesday in the US Senate, a procedure which will last several weeks and promises to be fraught with pitfalls for certain appointees with a controversial profile, such as Pete Hegseth, chosen to lead the Pentagon.
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In the United States, the Constitution requires that appointments of ministers and other senior officials be confirmed by a vote in the Senate, following a hearing in the committee responsible for the position in question.
These hearings come in the midst of controversy after the publication on the night of Monday to Tuesday of special prosecutor Jack Smith affirming that the president-elect of the United States would have been convicted for his alleged attempt to overturn the result of the American presidential election in 2020 if he was not re-elected four years later. Mr. Trump quickly responded by calling the prosecutor “deranged” in a virulent message on his Truth Social platform.
In the Senate, it is Pete Hegseth, a 44-year-old former major, who will open the hearings by taking to the grill of the Armed Services Committee from 9:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. GMT), before which he should suffer heavy fire from elected Democrats.
The announcement of the appointment of this Fox News presenter as Minister of Defense led to an outcry from the opposition. His lack of experience to lead the world’s most powerful army has been cited, but so have some controversial statements, such as his opposition to the presence of women in combat troops.
A 2017 sexual assault accusation in California also emerged in November. No complaint was filed at the time and the former soldier denies any non-consensual relationship.
A “winner”
Pete Hegseth is also suspected of regularly drinking excessively.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Armed Services Committee, last week decried “a guy who found himself so drunk at work events that he repeatedly needed to be carried out “.
“Can we really count on calling Hegseth at two in the morning to make life and death decisions regarding national security? No,” she asserted.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also questioned Monday: “Is someone with the alleged history of Pete Hegseth really the kind of person we want on the helm in a very important and dangerous?
“Is this really in the best interests of American security?” he added.
Pete Hegseth has declared that he wants to reform the Pentagon from top to bottom, which has become too “woke” according to him, in particular by dismissing certain generals and again banning transgender people from enlisting in the flag.
Despite the controversies, Donald Trump declared at the beginning of December to maintain his choice and assured that the former Fox News presenter was a “winner”.
Establishment
The future American president has already had to face the forced withdrawal of Matt Gaetz, his initial choice for the Department of Justice, in the face of opposition from many senators even in the conservative camp.
While for his first term Donald Trump had largely relied onestablishment republican to appoint experienced men and women to key positions, the president-elect this time mainly chose loyalists and financial supporters.
After Pete Hegseth, the hearings will continue in the Senate in the days and weeks to come.
Kristi Noem, appointed by Donald Trump to the Department of Homeland Security, is expected Wednesday morning, as is Pam Bondi, to Justice, and Marco Rubio, designated the next head of American diplomacy.
Other controversial appointments, such as those of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at Health and Kash Patel at the FBI, are not expected before February.
The last time the US Senate rejected the nomination of a member of the government was in 1989. At the time, George Bush Sr. had to give up on seeing John Tower lead the Pentagon, due to accusations of problems with the alcohol and inappropriate behavior with women.
But unlike George Bush, Donald Trump this time has a majority in the Senate. The rejection of a nomination would therefore represent a thunderbolt and a snub for the Republican.
