Mr. Hegesth did not initially address allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking or his controversial views on women in combat and minorities, as senators seek to determine whether the veteran and TV host is fit to lead the US military. Instead, he focused on his combat experience in the National Guard.
“It’s time to give the helm to someone who has dust on their boots. An agent of change,” he argued in his opening speech.
Asked directly about the sexual assault allegation made against him, Mr. Hegseth dismissed it, calling it a “smear campaign.”
But when asked about his personal behavior and marital infidelity, Mr Hegseth admitted he was “not a perfect person”.
Senators spent hours delving into the issues surrounding Mr. Hegseth, with the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee acknowledging the choice as “unconventional” and the Democratic leader warning of “extremely alarming” allegations against him .
Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican senator from Mississippi, compared Mr. Hegseth to Mr. Trump himself, dismissing the various allegations against him as baseless. He believes that Mr. Hegseth “would bring energy and new ideas to shake up the bureaucracy.”
But Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, said flatly: “I do not believe you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this position.”
Marathon of confirmations
Pete Hegseth, 44, comes from a new generation of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his military experience is widely considered an asset. But he also has a heavy past, with several controversial statements and allegations of sexual assault and excessive alcohol consumption. He has vowed not to drink alcohol if confirmed as head of the Pentagon.
New controversy: Trump nominates TV host as Secretary of Defense (Newsworthy French/VideoElephant)
Mr. Trump supported his choice, saying that his candidate had his “complete and total support” in a message sent this morning.
The hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee marks the start of a weeklong marathon in which senators begin examining Donald Trump’s picks for more than a dozen top administration posts. The Republican-led Senate is racing to have some of Donald Trump’s picks ready for confirmation as early as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, despite potential opposition from some members of both parties.
Pete Hegseth is one of the most threatened picks in Donald Trump’s cabinet, but his Republican allies are determined to make him a cause celebre for Mr. Trump’s approach to governing.
Outside groups, including those aligned with the Heritage Foundation, are running expensive campaigns to support Mr. Hegseth’s candidacy.
In the audience, there were men wearing clothing expressing support for veterans or military service, but also demonstrators who momentarily disrupted the proceedings but were expelled from the room.
Confrontations with elected officials
Mr. Hegseth has been combative at times, forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, and his own comments that are far from the military mainstream.
Pressed for questions about his opposition to diversity initiatives in the military and women serving in combat roles, Mr. Hegseth agreed that the military “has been a trailblazer in courageous racial integration.” But he argued that modern diversity and inclusion policies “divide” the current troops and do not prioritize “meritocracy.”
-Mr Hegseth was asked about his comments that women should “flat out” not be in combat roles, a view he has softened after recent meetings with senators.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, noted the change in direction. “What about it?” she asked.
In a heated exchange, Senator Kristen Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, told Mr. Hegseth: “You will have to change the way you see women to do this job.”
But Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, was far less combative when Mr. Hegseth told her it would be a “privilege of a lifetime” to serve men. and women in uniform.
The “model” Brett Kavanaugh
Many senators have not yet met with Mr. Hegseth and most do not have access to his federal police background investigation because only the commission’s leadership has been briefed on its findings. Democratic Sen. Jack Reed said background checks were “insufficient.” According to a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity to discuss it, Mr. Hegseth’s hearing did not delve into or produce new information beyond what is already in the public domain. .
In many ways, Pete Hegseth’s hearing fit the pattern established during Donald Trump’s first term, when one of his picks for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, came under scrutiny scrutiny due to sexual assault allegations. However, he turned the tables on his detractors and pulled himself together to obtain confirmation to the Supreme Court.
“He will be torn apart, he will be brought down. We will talk about him,” predicted Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, during an event with former soldiers supporting the candidate. “But we’re going to get him across the finish line.”
“We will tear them to pieces,” promised Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Fox News.
A stranger at the Capitol
Mr. Hegseth was largely unknown on Capitol Hill when Donald Trump chose him for the Pentagon’s top job.
Co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend on Fox News, he had been working with the channel since 2014 and apparently caught the attention of the president-elect, who is a big consumer of television and that news channel in particular.
Mr. Hegseth attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021. He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011, and earned two Bronze Stars. But he lacks high-level military and national security experience.
In 2017, a woman told police that Mr. Hegseth had sexually assaulted her, according to a detailed investigative report recently released. Mr. Hegseth denied any wrongdoing and told police at the time that the encounter, which occurred at a Republican women’s rally in California, was consensual. He then paid the woman money under a confidential settlement to avoid a possible trial.
If confirmed, Mr. Hegseth would take charge of a military juggling a series of crises on the global stage and domestic challenges in recruiting, retaining and continuing to fund the military.
In addition to being a key adviser to the president on national security, the secretary of defense oversees a massive organization, with nearly 2.1 million military personnel, approximately 780,000 civilians, and a budget of approximately $850 billion. US.
