'Yes or no!' Senator calls out Pete Hegseth for dodging questions about 'being drunk'
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) called out Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee, after he refused to commit to resigning from the position if he drank alcohol while at work.
During Tuesday's confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hirono asked Hegseth about reports that he had problems with alcoholism.
"I have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work, including by people who worked with you at Fox News," the senator said. "Do you know that being drunk at work is prohibited for service members under the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice)?"
"Senator, those are multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women at Fox News Channel who I work with who came on the record and said they never see that," Hegseth replied.
"Yes or no!" Hirono demanded. "As Secretary, you will be on the job 24-7. You recently promised some of my Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking and won't drink if confirmed, correct?"
"Will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink on the job, which is a 24-7 position?" she asked.
"I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving," Hegseth dodged.
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"Will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink on the job?" the senator pressed.
"I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving because it's the most important deployment of my life," Hegseth repeated.
"I'm not hearing an answer to my question," Hirono noted. "While you have made that commitment, you will not commit to resigning if you drink on the job."