Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Pete Hegseth is scheduled to take the hot seat before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a hearing sure to erupt in fireworks.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to shake him up the pentagon as his defense secretary, but the former Fox News host has been embroiled in controversies about which Democrats on the committee can be expected to question him.
“Democrats are certainly not going to make this a walk in the park by any means,” said one Republican aide.
“You’re going to see that the Democrats are pretty organized, they’re thinking strategically to make sure everything is covered and it’s not a hearing that becomes too repetitive,” a senior Democratic aide told Fox News Digital.
HOW THE SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION PROCESS WORKS
“I don’t think it’s going to be particularly hostile, but I do think it’s going to be very tough. It’s going to be very focused on just what we should expect from a candidate for this job and where they fall short,” the aide. he continued “There are questions about the things he’s done, his character and his leadership.”
Hegseth will be the first of Trump’s controversial picks of change agents to face questioning from lawmakers.
Republicans can be expected to play defense, viewing Hegseth as a decorated combat veteran who will hold the military accountable after years of failed audits and DEI initiatives.
With little hope of winning any Democratic votes, Hegseth will have to court moderate Republicans who have previously expressed skepticism about his nomination.
Democrats are expected to hammer him over his past conduct and qualifications to lead the government’s largest agency, which employs 3 million people.
Pete Hegseth will take the hot seat before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a highly anticipated hearing. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
HUNDREDS OF VETERANS TO DESCEND ON DC TO MARCH IN SUPPORT OF PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION
The 44-year-old army National Guard veteran, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced compared to previous defense secretaries, having retired as a senior. But Republicans say they don’t want someone who has made it to the top, who has become entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.
Hegseth is sure to face questions about a sexual assault allegation from 2017. He has acknowledged that he paid his accuser an undisclosed sum to keep quiet at the time for fear of losing his job, but denies that sex took place consented
Former employees of the veterans groups Hegseth used to lead have accused him of financial mismanagement and heavy drinking, according to a New Yorker report, and NBC News reported that his colleagues were “concerned” that he was drinking Fox News.
Hegseth denies the allegations and said he would not drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to lead the Defense Department.
The hearing, which will start at 9.30 am, will be full of veterans who traveled to Washington, DC, to support Hegseth in the face of the attacks.
Hegseth has been visiting her for weeks capitol hill to meet with senators, including those who are skeptical of him. Last Wednesday, he met with the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and it appears the meeting did not go well.
“Today’s meeting did not alleviate my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers,” Reed said in a statement.
Hegseth retired from the Army National Guard in 2021. (Fox News)
Hegseth must first win a majority in a vote of the Armed Services Committee, made up of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, meaning a Republican defection could limit the vote.
Then he needs to win a simple majority in the Senate, which means he can’t afford to lose more than three Republican votes.
“I think he knows that all he needs is Republican votes to get into the job from now on,” said one Democratic aide. “His job is to keep his head down and not say something that would create an opening for these (Republicans), many of whom I really think don’t want to vote for him, to have a reason to revisit it. So I wait that he will try to say very little and say it very calmly and politely.”
On the committee, all eyes will be on Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a veteran herself who at first seemed dubious about Hegseth. After two meetings with the candidate, Ernst said he would support him through the confirmation process and expected a fair hearing. She did not commit to voting for him.
Senators will also comb through Hegseth’s long record of public comments on television and the five books he has written.
One such belief is that women should not fight in combat roles.
“Fathers push us to take risks. Mothers put training wheels on our bikes. We need mothers. But not in the military, especially in combat units,” she wrote in her most recent book, “The war against warriors,” published. in 2024.
Hegseth has been courting votes on Capitol Hill for weeks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“Men are, gasp, biologically stronger, faster and bigger. Dare I say, physically superior,” Hegseth added.
PETE HEGSETH SAYS WEST POINT MAKES NO SENSE SINCE ‘ERROR’ EMPLOYEE DENIES HIS ACCEPTANCE
On a Nov. 7 episode of Shawn Ryan’s podcast, which aired just days before Hegseth was tapped as secretary of defense, the candidate said, “I’m straight up saying we shouldn’t have women in combat roles.” .
Hegseth later told Fox News in December that women are some of America’s “most warriors.”
“I also want an opportunity here to clear up comments that have been misconstrued, that somehow I don’t support women in the military; some of our best warriors, our best warriors out there are women,” she said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Female service members “love our nation, they want to defend this flag and they do it every day around the world. I’m not assuming anything,” she added.
