President-elect Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, faced intense questioning during his Senate confirmation hearing. He was grilled about allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and derisive views on women in combat. Hegseth defended himself, emphasizing his military experience and vowing to foster a 'warrior culture' at the Pentagon. However, Democrats expressed serious concerns about his fitness to lead the military.
By Lisa Mascaro, Tara Copp and Matt Brown, Associated PressPete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Asked directly about the sexual assault allegation, Hegseth dismissed it as a “smear campaign,” as he did in response to a rapid-fire series of questions about his personal behavior and complaints of drinking on the job. He has vowed not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. But pressed about his marital infidelity, Hegseth acknowledged, “I am not a perfect person.”
Hegseth, 44, comes from a new generation of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and his military experience is widely viewed as an asset. But he also brings a jarring record of past actions and statements, including about women, minorities and “woke” generals.Hegseth also does not have the credentials typical of a defense secretary, raising questions about his ability to manage an organization with nearly 2.
Hegseth was combative at times, as he was forced to confront the allegations of misconduct and his own comments that are far from the military mainstream. Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check, as only committee leaders were briefed on its findings. Reed called the background check “insufficient.”
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS DEFENSE SECRETARY MILITARY EXPERIENCE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS WOMEN IN COMBAT
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