The Five Biggest Moments From the Pete Hegseth Hearing
Embattled Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth faced fierce questioning over past statements and serious allegations on Tuesday during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the bulk of Hegseth’s public review focused on his controversial comments about women in the military, a sexual assault accusation that resulted in a financial settlement, reports of financial misconduct and substance abuse problems at work.
Hegseth, 44, is a former Army National Guard veteran who served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. He also led two veterans-oriented nonprofits and worked as a Fox News contributor since 2014. He is the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”
Since his nomination, the unconventional selection who has painted his recent military service as a benefit and committed to instilling a “warrior culture” if confirmed at the Pentagon, has had a hard time convincing lawmakers on either side of the aisle to confirm him. With broad support from Democrats unlikely, Hegseth can only afford to lose a handful of votes from Republicans.
Past Comments About Women in the Military Come Back to Haunt Him
The bulk of Hegseth’s hearing focused on his past remarks that women should not serve in combat roles, that they have made fighting “more complicated,” and that they can’t “physically meet the same standards as men.”
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire was the first to press him on it, sharing direct quotes from his book. When Hegseth appeared to flip-flop, Shaheen seemed unconvinced, asking him where he actually stood.
"On one hand, you say that women are not competent and that they make our military less effective. And on the other hand, now that you've been nominated to SECDEF, you say, 'I've changed my view on women in the military.' I appreciate your 11th hour conversion."
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York was the next to confront him, at one point almost shouting at Hegseth. She called his statements on women, mothers and LGBTQ+ service members "silly" and "beneath the position" he is seeking.
Gillibrand took particular issue with Hegseth’s professed interest in keeping the military free of politics, saying his statements about banning women from certain duties directly contradict that goal.
"You said in your statement you don't want politics. Everything you've said in these public statements is politics," she said.
She then hit at his statements about mothers serving in the military, asking, “What's wrong with a mom, by the way? Once you have babies, you're no longer able to be lethal?”
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts later pressed him on his backsliding, calling one recent departure from a past statement “a very, very big about-face in a very, very short period of time.”
She asked him about what led to his change of heart, suggesting he reconsidered his public comments after being nominated.
“I’ve heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a nomination conversion,” Warren quipped.
She added that, as a result of his contradictory statements, many women in the military might be worried that he could change again if confirmed.
Refused to Commit to Resigning if He Breaks No-Drinking Pledge
Hegseth also faced intense questioning over reports he regularly drank on the job while employed at Fox News.
Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii asked repeatedly whether he was aware that being drunk at work is prohibited. Hegseth denied the reports of excessive drinking, saying they were a smear by the media but he did not respond to Hirono’s question.
She pressed him on his promise to Senate Republicans that he would not drink if he were confirmed, and he reiterated the pledge. But when asked if he would resign if he resumed drinking during his tenure at the Pentagon, Hegseth turned noncommittal. Instead, he said he made the commitment on behalf of servicemembers who would be under his leadership.
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullins of Oklahoma later came to Hegseth’s defense, asking, “How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night? ... How many senators have gotten a divorce for cheating?"
"It is so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself to this higher standard and you forget you got a big plank in your eye. We've all made mistakes.”
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona asked Hegseth a series of true or false questions regarding past issues with alcohol, including whether he needed to be carried out of an event due to intoxication. Hegseth responded to each by calling them “anonymous smears.”
Past Infidelity and Sexual Assault Allegations Prompt Heated Exchange
Allegations over Hegseth’s past relationships and sexual assault resulted in a short but heated exchange with Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.
Kaine asked if Hegseth would respect the oath of office he would take as defense secretary the same way he did for his vows to be faithful to his first and second wives, alluding to allegations that he cheated on both.
Hegseth acknowledged that he has “failed in many things” in life, adding that he’s been “redeemed by my lord and savior Jesus,” a common theme he returned to throughout the hearing.
Kaine then moved on to the allegations of a sexual assault in 2017 in which Hegseth was said to have paid an accuser a settlement. He took issue with Hegseth’s defense that the charges were made anonymously.
“We have seen records with names attached to all of these, including the name of your own mother,” Kaine said. “So don’t make this into some anonymous press thing.”
Hegseth later claimed that he was “falsely charged, fully investigated and completely cleared.” Kaine again took issue with the characterization, expressing dismay.
"So you think you are completely cleared because you committed no crime? That's your definition of cleared?” he said. “You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife. I am shocked that you would stand here and say you're completely cleared."
Lingering Questions About Financial Misconduct
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut leaned into allegations regarding financial mismanagement during Hegseth’s time at two nonprofit veterans organizations he led, including notable changes in fortune at the organization Vets for Freedom, where he served as executive director from 2007 to 2010.
"You told donors that the organization had less than $1,000 in the bank and debts of $434,000. By 2010, revenue at the Veterans for Freedom had dropped to about $265,000," he said. "In the next year, it had dropped further to $22,000. You don't dispute these numbers, do you?”
Blumenthal added that Hegseth took over Vets for Freedom in 2007 and in 2008, the organization raised $8.7 million and spent more than $9 million, "creating a deficit by January 2009.”
He insisted that Hegseth lacks the management experience needed to be defense secretary but that he would support him for a role as a Pentagon spokesperson, saying, "I don't dispute your communication skills.”
Hegseth Repeatedly Blamed Criticism on ‘Left-Wing Media,’ ‘Smear Campaign’
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the committee, began the hearing by asking about the allegations against Hegseth of sexual assault, womanizing and financial misconduct.
Hegseth noticeably side-stepped the questions, instead railing against what he called “the left-wing media” that “sadly doesn’t care about the truth.” He accused outlets of relying on citing “anonymous source after anonymous source, based on second- or third-hand accounts” of misconduct and slammed the reports as a “coordinated smear campaign.”
He added that many of his allies were prepared to talk to reporters about the allegations but that they were either not called or had their quotes omitted.
“All they were out to do, Mr. Chairman, was to destroy me. And why do they want to destroy me? Because I’m a change agent and a threat to them,” he said. “Because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower me to bring the Defense Department back to what it really should be, which is war fighting.”
