Trump defense picks Pete Hegseth in Senate confirmation hearing

Hopeful Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday called himself the target of a “coordinated smear campaign” as he denied a series of accusations about his personal and professional conduct at the start of a high-stakes Senate confirmation hearing.

Hegseth said reports about his alleged sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and nonprofit mismanagement were based on “anonymous sources” and were spread by media outlets that were trying to “destroy me.”

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

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., focused on Hegseth’s admitted past infidelities and warned him not to “turn this into an anonymous press thing,” noting that some allegations against him have been made on the record.

Hegseth also faced initial questioning from Democrats about his past comments about the role of women and other groups in the military.

“They 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 serving in the infantry. But you degrade them.”

Hegseth responded that she respected all female service members and that her concern was only about whether standards for troops had been lowered.

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

Gillibrand responded: “That doesn’t exist.”

Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in his opening remarks that Hegseth’s unconventional candidacy may be what makes him “a great choice” and compared him to the president-elect. donald trump.

But the committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, bluntly told Hegseth: “I don’t believe you are qualified to meet the overwhelming 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, composure and competence to serve as Secretary of Defense,” Reed said.

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

Trump supported Hegseth, who defended himself against the accusations.

He denied being expelled from the two veterans groups 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 he was at Fox. An investigation by police in Monterey, California, ended without charges against Hegseth. His attorney, who repeatedly called the allegations false, acknowledged that Hegseth reached a confidential settlement with the woman.

The district attorney later said that did not press charges because “neither charge was supported by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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

While he served in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth has significantly less high-level military or government experience than other recent Pentagon leaders. current secretary of defense lloyd austinFor example, he has more than 40 years of military experience and served as commander of the United States Central Command.

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

“But, as President Trump also told me, we have repeatedly placed people at the top of the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’ (whether retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives) and where has that gotten us?” ?” said.

The revelations about Hegseth sparked speculation that he could become the second Trump nominee to withdraw, after former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz scrapped his run for attorney general.

But some Republicans have reportedly have signaled in recent days that they believe Hegseth has enough support to advance beyond the Armed Services Committee and be confirmed by the Senate.

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

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

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.