Republicans are covering up Hegseth's behavior to get him confirmed
To avoid publicly contending with the fact that defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is clearly unqualified to run the Pentagon, Senate Republicans plan to limit questioning at his Tuesday confirmation hearing and accept an inadequate FBI report that didn't interview people who have accused Hegseth of improper and even illegal behavior.
Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, the Republican running Tuesday's hearing, said he will limit Senators to just one round of questioning—which could ensure that not all of Hegseth’s alleged bad behavior will be litigated during the advice and consent process.
What’s more, Republicans are fine with the fact that, at the behest of Donald Trump’s incoming administration, the FBI did not interview people who have accused Hegseth of sexual assault or impropriety, leading to a wildly lacking report.
And Hegseth never attempted to meet with Democrats on the Armed Services Committee, which is in charge of Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a combat veteran who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq, told Time magazine that Republicans lied when they blamed scheduling conflicts for making Hegseth unable to meet with Democrats on the committee.
“[T]here's no scheduling conflict. I have the receipts,” Duckworth told Time. “I have an email dated Dec. 18 where his team gives me the date of the week of Jan. 19,” which is after the confirmation hearings.
“He was never planning on meeting with the Democrats prior to this. And we've made ourselves more than available,” she added. “So whatever they're telling you is a fib. “
Hegseth has been credibly accused of sexual assault, was slammed by his own mother for his treatment of women, has been accused of having an alcohol problem, and was forced to step down from two veterans charities because he allegedly mismanaged funds, sexually harassed colleagues, and was intoxicated on the job.
Democrats are aghast at their GOP colleagues for ramming through Hegseth’s confirmation hearing while ignoring that Hegseth is completely unqualified for the job.
“There are significant gaps and inadequacies in the report, including the failure to interview some of the key potential witnesses with personal knowledge of improprieties or abuse,” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told The New York Times.
And Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in his opening remarks at Hegseth’s confirmation hearing that Hegseth’s personal conduct disqualifies him from the role.
"Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job,” Reed said. “We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you. A variety of sources, including your own writings, implicate you with disregarding the laws of war, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist remarks about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other troubling issues. I have reviewed many of these allegations and find them extremely alarming. Indeed, the totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense.”
Shortly after Trump won the 2024 election, Democrats feared Republicans would allow him to bypass the Senate confirmation process for his Cabinet picks and install his nominees through a process known as recess appointments.
But even though Republicans are allowing confirmation hearings, it appears Republicans will ensure the hearings are so cursory and undemanding that they may as well have been recess appointments.
It's possible Republicans are rolling over so fast because Trump's MAGA backers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to claim the credible allegations against Hegseth are merely part of a witch hunt—all in an effort to rile up Trump supporters and sic them against GOP senators skeptical of Hegseth's nomination.
Look no further than Wicker’s opening statement:
"Regarding his personal conduct, Mr. Hegseth has admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time. It is noteworthy that the vast majority of the accusations leveled at Mr. Hegseth have come from anonymous sources,” Wicker said.
Hegseth, meanwhile, didn't address any of the allegations of improper behavior against him in his prepared opening remarks—a sign he believes Republicans will confirm him regardless.
Hegseth's confirmation hearing began at 9:30 AM ET on Tuesday and can be streamed here.