Hegseth survives attacks from Democrats in Senate hearing

Pete Hegseth wrestled with a Senate hearing Tuesday in which Democrats sought to paint the Pentagon nominee as inexperienced, unprofessional and toxic amid allegations of sexual abuse and alcohol abuse.

But Republicans vigorously defended President-elect Trump’s nominee, and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services touted the hearing as a triumph, with Hegseth surviving the confrontation without doing any significant damage to his candidacy.

“This was a tour de force, a demolition, a triumph,” Speaker Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said after the hearing. “I think it was a magnificent display. I don’t think it could have gone any better.”

Hegseth, who raised his fist to applause at the end of the hearing, can afford to lose three Republican votes, if all Democrats and independents vote against him.

The former Fox News personality and Army National Guard veteran presented himself as a “change agent” who was free of conflicts of interest and focused on restoring lethality to the military.

But Democrats argued Hegseth was unqualified for the job of leading about 3 million soldiers and civilian employees.

Sen. Jack Reed (DR.I.), ranking member of the committee, opened the hearing by arguing that Hegseth lacked the “character, composure, and competence to serve as Secretary of Defense.”

“The Secretary of Defense requires a leader with unmatched experience, wisdom and, above all, character,” Reed said. “I don’t think you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.”

Reed’s initial remarks were in stark contrast to Wicker, who said Hegseth was coming into the job with a unique perspective, just as Trump did about a decade ago.

“The candidate is unconventional, just like that developer from New York who came down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president,” Wicker said after giving the audience a tap. “That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice.”

Hegseth has largely dismissed several allegations that have been made against him in recent months, the most serious of which is a 2017 sexual assault allegation at a California hotel.

The candidate claimed he was “completely oblivious” to the incident in his testimony. Hegseth reached a plea deal with the accuser in 2020, which his lawyer has said was aimed at keeping the allegation out of the public eye.

Hegseth also described allegations of excessive drinking in the workplace as “anonymous smears”, although he has vowed not to drink on the job if confirmed. He also defended his record at two veterans’ organizations he led, where Democrats say he mismanaged finances.

“What was very apparent to us early on: There was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us,” Hegseth said. “That was clear from the start.”

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) pressed Hegseth to drink and accused him of not being transparent about the allegations.

“I came into this hearing this morning concerned that you have not demonstrated adequate leadership in your civilian roles,” Kelly said. “It is clear to me that you are not being honest with us or the American people.”

And Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) criticized Hegseth over his handling of the two veterans organizations, pointing to concerns about falling revenue and rising debt when he led the groups.

“I don’t think you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them,” he said.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pressed Hegseth about his marital infidelity, asking him about multiple instances in which Hegseth has admitted to being unfaithful.

“As I’ve acknowledged to everyone on this committee, I’m not a perfect person,” said Hegseth, who has been married three times.

Hegseth also had to answer a series of questions from Democrats and even Republicans about his comments about women serving in combat roles. Hegseth has previously said that women should “directly” not serve in combat positions.

“They’re brutal and they’re mean and they don’t respect the men and women who are willing to die for this country,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.) told Hegseth about those past comments.

Hegseth said he only planned to make sure there were high standards for combat roles and that women weren’t barred from those positions.

But Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized Hegseth for reversing his position on the issue, accusing him of doing so only after he was appointed to lead the Pentagon.

“I’ve heard of deathbed conversions now, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a nomination conversion,” she said, saying “a lot of women” were worried about a reversal.

Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Hegseth apparently wanted to raise the standards for women while lowering the standards for the Pentagon’s top job, arguing she was clearly not qualified for the paper

“You talk about standards, you talk about raising … standards for the men and women who serve,” Peters said. “You think the way to raise the minimum standards of the people who serve us is to lower the standards of the secretary of defense?”

Duckworth questioned Hegseth’s institutional knowledge of the Pentagon and international security in an attempt to show that he lacked the necessary knowledge for the job. Hegseth struggled to answer the questions.

But the Republicans quickly swooped in and put the finger on the Democrats.

“It seems to me that you have overseen a lot more people than the average United States senator,” Wicker told Hegseth.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) accused Democrats of hypocrisy.

“How many senators have turned up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you asked them to resign from their jobs? Mullin asked.

And Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) asked Hegseth questions about weapons and military hardware, which he answered correctly.

“Well, here you are representing qualifications that show you understand what the warrior deals with every day on the battlefield,” Sheehy said.

Ultimately, the testimony seemed to do little to change Hegseth’s mind or nudge Hegseth toward his confirmation.

Hegseth appeared to be on the ropes in late November amid mounting allegations, including a searing email from his own mother in 2018. But support from Trump and his allies helped turn that around before the Christmas holidays .

Even Republicans who were most beholden to Hegseth appeared to welcome his nomination Tuesday, rallying around his promise to eliminate what they see as “woke” policies at the Pentagon.

Hegseth assured Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a military veteran and sexual assault survivor who was among the Republican senators most concerned about Hegseth, that women would continue to have access to combat roles under his watch.

Ernst said he secured Hegseth’s commitment to establish a senior defense official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response.

“You performed very well today, so well in fact that I think it behooves this committee to confirm you as soon as possible,” said Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), “to get you to work for clean up the mess we have in the Pentagon.”

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