Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defence Secretary, defended his {qualifications} and imaginative and prescient throughout a contentious Senate affirmation listening to on Tuesday.Hegseth emphasised his dedication to strengthening navy readiness, self-discipline, and a “warrior ethos,” drawing on his expertise as an Military Nationwide Guard veteran to stipulate plans for cultural reform throughout the Pentagon.Nonetheless, the listening to quickly turned combative as senators pressed him on previous allegations of misconduct and challenged his suitability for the high-profile position.Key highlights from the listening toThis is how Hegseth defended his place in hopes of getting confirmed as Trump’s Defence Secretary
Hegseth confronted intense scrutiny over previous allegations of sexual misconduct Senator Tim Kaine questioned Hegseth’s character, saying “Are you able to so casually cheat on a second spouse and cheat on the mom of a kid two months earlier than? How is that fully cleared?” In response, Hegseth insisted “I’ve been falsely charged — fully, totally investigated, and fully cleared.”Senator Mark Kelly introduced up situations of alleged misconduct throughout Hegseth’s management of Involved Veterans of America, stating “On Memorial Day 2014 at a CVA occasion in Virginia, you wanted to be carried out of the occasion for being intoxicated. To this, Hegseth repeatedly responded “Nameless smears.” Senator Mazie Hirono pressed Hegseth on whether or not he would resign if he broke his pledge to abstain from alcohol. Hegseth replied, “I’ve made the dedication to not drink.”
Hegseth’s previous feedback on girls in fight had been a focus throughout the listening to. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand requested him to make clear his place on girls serving in fight roles. Hegseth responded “I respect each feminine service member that has placed on the uniform, previous and current. My critiques… have been situations the place I’ve seen requirements lowered.”
Senator Kevin Cramer inspired Hegseth to present navy management an opportunity underneath new management, regardless of discussions about firing “woke” generals. In response, Hegseth stated, “When Donald Trump is sworn in, he’ll problem a brand new set of lawful orders, and the management of our companies can have a possibility to observe these lawful orders or not.” “In Donald Trump’s Pentagon, there can be actual requirements for fulfillment,” he added.
Senator Kevin Cramer questioned Hegseth about his Jerusalem Cross tattoo, which critics have labelled an extremist. Hegseth defended it as a “historic Christian image.” He expressed frustration at being “recognized as an extremist” due to the tattoo. “I had orders to return to Washington, D.C. to protect the inauguration,” Hegseth defined, recounting how his orders had been all of the sudden revoked. “I had by no means had orders revoked earlier than. I’ve been on orders to loads of locations, to do loads of troublesome and harmful issues.”Senator Jack Reed requested Hegseth to clarify the time period “jagoff,” a reference from his 2024 ebook The Warfare on Warriors. Hegseth initially resisted defining the slang however finally stated, “It’s a JAG officer who places his or her priorities forward of warfighters, their promotions, their medals, as an alternative of supporting these on the entrance traces.”
