Pete Hagsett’s Senate confirmation hearing was chosen by Trump’s defense

The Minister of Defense hopes Pete Hegseth on Tuesday described himself as the target of a “coordinated smear campaign” as he denied a a raft of accusations about his personal and professional conduct at the start of high-stakes Senate confirmation hearings.

Hegseth said the reports about his alleged sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and nonprofit management were based on “anonymous sources” and were spread by the media in an attempt to “destroy me.”

But Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed him on those and other controversies during tense hearings on whether the 44-year-old Army veteran and former Fox News anchor is qualified to lead the Pentagon, the nation’s largest government agency.

Sen. Tim Kaine, R-Virginia, pointed to Hegsett’s admitted past betrayals and warned him “not to turn this into some anonymous press,” noting that some of the allegations against him were made in the record.

Hegseth has also faced criticism from Democrats over his past comments about the role of women and other groups in the military.

“You have denigrated active duty military,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. “We have hundreds, hundreds of women currently serving in the infantry, mortal members of our military serving in the infantry. But you will humiliate them.’

Hegseth responded that he respected all servicewomen and that his only concern was whether standards for the troops had been lowered.

When Gillibrand asked for an example, Hegsett said there are quotas for female infantry officers.

Gillibrand snapped: “It doesn’t exist.”

Senate Republicans were almost unanimous in their praise of Hegsett, and many echoed his criticism of the leadership of the U.S. military under the Biden administration. Others used their speaking time to defend Hegsett against Democrats.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, D-Oklahoma, once accused Democrats of hypocrisy over their questions.

“How many senators do you know who got divorced before cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to resign?” – said Malin. – No, but it’s for show.

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss, said in opening remarks that Hegsett’s unconventional candidacy may be what makes him a “great choice,” and compared him to the president-elect Donald Trump.

But the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, told Hegsett bluntly, “I don’t believe you are qualified to meet the extraordinary demands of this job.”

Reed said he found the allegations against Hegsett “very troubling.”

“I voted for all of your predecessors, including the first Trump administration. Unfortunately, you lack the character, composure, and competence to serve as Secretary of Defense,” Reid said.

When he entered the hearing, some members of the audience received a standing ovation. But shortly after he began his opening remarks, Hegseth was interrupted three times by protesters who shouted at him as they were led out of the room.

Trump supported Hegseth, who defended himself against the allegations.

He denied being kicked out of two vet groups and said he would not drink alcohol if he was confirmed as defense secretary.

He also denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a hotel in 2017 while he was at Fox. An investigation by police in Monterey, California ended without charges against Hegsett. His attorney, who has repeatedly called the allegations false, acknowledged that Hegseth had reached a confidentiality agreement with the woman.

Later, the district prosecutor informed about it did not press charges because “None of the charges have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

In his opening remarks, Hegseth said he was “incredibly proud” of the work he has done for nonprofits and defended his resume and leadership credentials.

While he served tours at Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth has far less senior military or government experience than other recent Pentagon chiefs. The current Minister of Defense Lloyd Austinfor example, has more than 40 years of military experience and served as commander of US Central Command.

“It’s true that I don’t have the same resume as the defense ministers of the past 30 years,” Hegseth said in his opening remarks.

“But as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly put people at the top of the Pentagon with the supposedly ‘right credentials’ — whether they’re retired generals, scientists, or defense contractor executives — and where has that gotten us? » he said.

The revelations about Hegsett have sparked speculation that he could become the second of Trump’s nominees to drop out after former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped his bid for attorney general.

But some Republicans have according to reports have made it clear in recent days that they believe Hegsett has enough support to move past the Armed Services Committee and be confirmed by the Senate.

The circumstances of Hegsett’s nomination have drawn comparisons to the dramatic Senate hearings on sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanagh, Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee.

Cavanaugh, who strongly denied the allegations, was confirmed 50-48.

This is developing news. Check for updates.