President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, refers to himself as an “agent of change.” He appeared today before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a confirmation hearing, which is expected to be difficult for him due to questions raised about the ability of the former military veteran and television journalist to lead the U.S. military.
Hegseth’s prior experience in the National Guard is widely seen as one of his strengths. However, he also has a history of controversial statements and past actions that have sparked criticism, including allegations of sexual abuse, excessive alcohol use, and his disparaging views on the role of women and minorities in the military.
He has pledged that he will no longer consume alcohol if confirmed by the Senate to lead the Pentagon.
“It’s time to hand the wheel to someone who has been in the battlefield, someone who will bring change,” Hegseth is expected to tell the senators in his opening statement at the hearing, which was obtained by the Associated Press.
He is considered one of the most vulnerable nominees among the appointments made by Trump for his cabinet.
However, Republican allies are determined to turn Hegseth’s case into a cause of Trump’s governing approach amid ongoing cultural battles in the country.
External groups, including those linked to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, have launched costly campaigns to support Hegseth’s nomination.
“He will be hit, he will be vilified, but he will be talked about,” said Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville at a meeting with former special forces representatives from the Army and Marines who support his nomination.
“We will succeed in confirming him,” he added.
Hegseth will face questions about sexual abuse allegations, which he has denied, as well as his comments that contradict traditional military stances. Nevertheless, he has the backing of some veterans’ groups, who say that his past careless statements are less important than what he promises to do, which is strengthen the military’s readiness to fight.
In 2017, a woman reported to the police that Hegseth had sexually assaulted her, according to a recent investigative report.
Hegseth denied the allegations, stating at the time that the relationship was consensual during a Republican women’s event in California. He later paid the woman who accused him, signing a legal agreement that required the case to remain private, thus avoiding a potential lawsuit.
Hegseth will also need to address questions about his comments that women should not be “directly” engaged in combat, a viewpoint he has softened after recent meetings with various senators.
Two former female war veterans, Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Tammy Duckworth, are among those expected to direct tough questions at Hegseth.
“He may try to walk back his comments about women in combat, but we know what he really thinks,” said Duckworth, a war veteran who lost a leg and partially paralyzed an arm when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting was shot down in Iraq, as reported by VOA.
“He is the most unqualified person ever nominated for the position of Secretary of Defense,” she said.
Many senators have yet to meet with Hegseth, and most have not had access to the FBI’s background information on him. Only the committee leadership has been briefed on the findings.
However, the background check on Hegseth does not seem to have produced new information beyond what is already public, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The hearing is likely to follow the pattern set during Trump’s first term, when one of his Supreme Court nominees, Brett Kavanaugh, faced tough questions regarding allegations of sexual abuse by a high school classmate, yet was confirmed by the Senate.
