Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, faced intense questioning from senators about sexual assault allegations, marital infidelity, and controversial opinions on diversity and women in combat roles. While Republican senators praised Hegseth's military experience and combat record, Democratic senators raised serious concerns about his fitness for the position.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
Hegseth also does not have the credentials typical of a defense secretary, raising questions about his ability to manage an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of roughly $850 billion.as the Republican-led Senate is rushing to have some of Trump's nominees ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. With a narrow GOP majority, almost all Republicans must support Trump’s pick if Democrats oppose.
In a striking scene, several female Democratic senators grilled Hegseth over his comments that women should “straight up” not be in combat roles, a view he has softened since his nomination.In one fiery exchange, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told Hegseth: “You will have to change how you see women to do this job.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Hegseth if he would agree to a fuller FBI review, but he demurred, saying it was not up to him. The Trump transition would need to request it. And when GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a military veteran and sexual assault survivor, questioned Hegseth, he told her it would be the “privilege of a lifetime” to be the defense secretary for men, and women, in uniform.A former co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014 and apparently caught the eye of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and the news channel, in particular.
HEGSETH DEFENSE SECRETARY SENATE CONFIRMATION MILITARY EXPERIENCE DIVERSITY SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS
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