Hegseth survives attacks from Democrats in testy Senate hearing
Pete Hegseth on Tuesday battled through a high-stakes Senate hearing in which Democrats sought to paint the Pentagon nominee as inexperienced, unprofessional and toxic due to allegations of sexual abuse and heavy drinking.
But Republicans vigorously defended President-elect Trump's nominee, and the Senate Armed Services chair touted the hearing as a triumph, with Hegseth surviving the showdown without doing any major damage his candidacy.
“This was a tour de force, a takedown, a triumph,” Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said after the hearing. “I think it was a magnificent display. I don't think it could have gone any better.”
Hegseth, who raised his fist to applause at the end of the hearing, can afford to lose three Republican votes, should every Democrat and Independent vote against him.
The former Fox News personality and an Army National Guard veteran pitched himself as a “change agent” who was free from conflicts of interest and laser-focused on restoring lethality to the military.
But Democrats made the case Hegseth was unqualified for the job to lead some 3 million troops and civilian employees.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), ranking member on the committee, opened the hearing by arguing Hegseth lacked the "character, composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of Defense.”
“Secretary of Defense demands a leader of unparalleled experience, wisdom and, above all else, character,” Reed said. “I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.”
Reed’s opening remarks were in stark contrast with Wicker, who said Hegseth was coming into the job with a unique perspective, as Trump did roughly a decade ago.
“The nominee is unconventional — just like that New York developer who rode down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president,” Wicker said after he gaveled in the hearing. “That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice.”
Hegseth largely dismissed various allegations that have been made against him in recent months, the most serious of which is a a 2017 sexual assault accusation at a hotel in California.
The nominee claimed he was “completely cleared” of the incident in his testimony. Hegseth reached a settlement with the accuser in 2020, which his lawyer has said was intended to keep the accusation out of the public.
Hegseth also described allegations about excessive drinking in the workplace as “anonymous smears,” though he has committed to not drinking on the job if confirmed. He also defended his record at two veterans organizations that he led, where Democrats say he mismanaged finances.
“What became very evident to us from the beginning — there was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us,” Hegseth said. “That was clear from moment one.”
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) pressed Hegseth on his drinking and accused him of not being transparent about the allegations.
“I walked into this hearing this morning concerned that you haven’t demonstrated adequate leadership in your civilian roles,” Kelly said. “It’s clear to me that you’re not being honest with us or the American people.”
And Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) hammered Hegseth on his management of the two veterans organizations, pointing to concerns about falling revenue and soaring debt when he led the groups.
“I don’t believe that you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them,” he said.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pressed Hegseth on his marital infidelity, asking about multiple instances in which Hegseth has admitted to being unfaithful.
“As I’ve acknowledged to everyone in this committee, I’m not a perfect person,” said Hegseth, who has been married three times.
Hegseth also had to answer a flurry of questions from Democrats and even Republicans about his comments on women serving in combat roles. He has previously said women should “straight-up” not serve in combat positions.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) highlighted those comments Tuesday, saying they're "brutal and they’re mean and they disrespect men and women who are willing to die for this country."
Hegseth said he only planned to ensure there were high standards for combat roles and that women would not be barred from those positions.
But Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slammed Hegseth for reversing his position on the issue, accusing him of doing so only after he was nominated to lead the Pentagon.
“Now, I’ve heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a nomination conversion,” she said, saying “many women” were concerned about a reversal.
Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Hegseth apparently wanted to raise standards on women in combat, while lowering standards for the top Pentagon post, arguing he was obviously unqualified for the role.
“You talk about standards, you talk about raising … standards for the men and women who serve,” Peters said. “Do you think that the way to raise the minimum standards of the people who serve us is to lower the standards for the secretary of Defense?”
Duckworth, a combat veteran, questioned Hegseth’s institutional knowledge of the Pentagon and international security in an attempt to show he lacked the know-how for the job. Hegseth struggled to answer the questions.
But Republicans quickly jumped in, turning the finger on Democrats.
“It seems to me that you’ve supervised far more people than the average United States senator,” Wicker said to Hegseth.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) accused Democrats of hypocrisy.
“How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job?” Mullin asked.
And Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) asked Hegseth questions about military weapons and hardware, which he correctly answered.
“Right, there you are representing qualifications that show you understand what the warfighter deals with every single day on the battlefield,” Sheehy said.
Ultimately, the testimony appeared to do little to change any minds or push Hegseth off his track to confirmation.
The 44-year-old former Fox News host appeared to be on the ropes in late November amid the mounting allegations, including a searing email from his own mother in 2018. But support from Trump and his allies helped turn it around by the Christmas holiday.
Even Republicans who were more on the fence about Hegseth appeared to welcome his nomination Tuesday, rallying around his pledge to eliminate what they consider “woke” policies at the Pentagon.
Hegseth reassured Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a military veteran and sexual assault survivor who was among the GOP senators most concerned with Hegseth, that women would continue to have access to combat roles under his watch.
Ernst has said she secured a commitment from Hegseth to establish a senior defense official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response.
“You’ve conducted yourself very well today, in fact so well that I believe it’s incumbent upon this committee to confirm you ASAP,” Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said, “to get you on the job to clean up the mess that we have at the Pentagon.”