Trump Defense pick Pete Hegseth Senate confirmation hearing

Secretary of Defense hopefully Pete Hegseth he called himself the target of a “coordinated defamation campaign” as he denied a a series of charges about his personal and professional conduct at a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Hegseth said the reports about his alleged sexual impropriety, alcohol abuse and nonprofit mismanagement were based on “anonymous sources” and sold by the media trying to “destroy me.”

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

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., weighed in on Hegseth’s admitted past infidelity and urged him not to “make it into an anonymous press thing,” noting that some of the allegations against him were made in the record.

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

“You have denigrated active duty service members,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. “We have hundreds, hundreds of women who are currently in the infantry, lethal members of our military who serve in the infantry. But you degrade them.”

Hegseth responded that he respected all female service members and that his concerns were only about whether standards were being lowered for the troops.

When Gillibrand asked for an example, Hegseth said there were quotas for female infantry officers.

Gillibrand replied, “It doesn’t exist.”

Republicans on the Senate panel offered near-uniform praise for Hegseth, and many echoed his criticism of the direction of the U.S. military under the Biden administration. Others used their speaking times to defend Hegseth from the panel’s Democrats.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., at one point accused Democrats of hypocrisy for their demands.

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

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

But the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, told Hegseth in no uncertain terms, “I don’t think you’re qualified to meet the high demands of this job.”

Reed said he finds the allegations against Hegseth “extremely alarming.”

“I voted for all of your predecessors, including those in the first Trump administration. Unfortunately, you lack the character and the composure and the competence to hold the position of defense secretary,” Reed said.

Upon entering the hearing, Hegseth was greeted with a standing ovation by some members of the audience. But shortly after beginning her opening remarks, Hegseth was interrupted three times by protesters who shouted at her as they were led out of the room.

Trump has backed Hegseth, who has defended himself against the charges.

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

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

The district attorney said later made no charges because, “No charge has been supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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

While he served tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth has significantly less military or government experience than other recent Pentagon chiefs. Current Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austinfor example, he has more than 40 years of military experience and had served as commander of the United States Central Command.

“It is true that I do not have a biography similar to the Secretaries of Defense of the last 30 years,” said Hegseth’s opening statement.

“But, as President Trump also told me, we have repeatedly placed people at the top of the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’ — whether they’re retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives — and where did it come from?” he said.

The revelations about Hegseth fueled speculation that he could become Trump’s second choice to resign, after former Rep. GOP Matt Gaetz scrapped his bid for attorney general.

But some Republicans have reported signaled in recent days that he believes Hegseth has enough support to advance the Armed Services Committee and be confirmed by the full Senate.

The circumstances of Hegseth’s appointment have comparisons made at the dramatic Senate hearing centered on sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee.

Kavanaugh, who has vehemently denied those allegations, was confirmed 50-48.