Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s selection for Protection secretary, on Tuesday emerged largely unscathed from an at instances blistering affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Armed Companies Committee.
Democratic lawmakers on the panel took intention at Hegseth’s lack of expertise main an company as giant and sophisticated because the Pentagon, claims associated to his remedy of girls and extreme ingesting, and his previous feedback on the position of girls within the army.
A number of Democrats additionally expressed issues that an FBI background test on Hegseth, an Military veteran, ignored essential particulars about main allegations levied in opposition to him. The report was seen by the panel’s prime two members on Friday.
Committee Republicans, nonetheless, rallied across the former Fox Information host. Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) declared the listening to a “tour de force” and “triumph” on the a part of Hegseth.
“Mr. Hegseth had three audiences: the committee, the United States Senate and the American general public. I think it was a magnificent display of his knowledge and his ability to communicate his leadership abilities and I feel very good about this hearing today,” Wicker informed reporters. “I don’t think [it] could have gone any better.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who had been thought of a make-or-break vote for Hegseth, introduced on Simon Conway’s radio present after the listening to that she would vote for the nominee.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the listening to.
Hegseth survives
Republicans on the panel expressed confidence following the listening to that Hegseth will in the end win affirmation.
They consider he carried out nicely and heeded calls from Republicans to maintain his cool, regardless of makes an attempt by Democrats on the panel to goad him right into a misstep that might damage his probabilities earlier than the total Senate.
“I think he helped himself immensely today,” Wicker informed reporters after the listening to.
Not like different nominees, Hegseth has targeted on conserving maintain of the requisite variety of Republicans fairly than attempting to win over Democrats who’re thought of lengthy pictures.
He met a number of instances with Ernst in an try to assuage her issues. Against this, he solely met with one Democrat on the panel.
Democrats on Tuesday complained concerning the lack of communication, however the playbook could possibly be paying off after he caught to the script and didn’t make any apparent missteps that might deprive him of the 4 Republican votes required to sink him.
“This is kind of what we had expected would happen. Most certainly, I think Mr. Hegseth has done a good job in many cases,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the committee, informed reporters.
Rounds mentioned it didn’t seem pointed questions from Democrats equivalent to Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.), who had a fiery change with Hegseth about previous infidelity, would in the end hurt the nominee.
“We knew that it would come up, simply because it was part of the discussion early only, so it doesn’t surprise us that it would come up in that fashion,” Rounds mentioned. “Mr. Hegseth responded, and now it’s a matter of moving forward and finding out whether or not it made anybody else think twice about whether they would support Mr. Hegseth. I don’t think that it changed any minds.”
Hegseth pushes again on ‘smear campaign’
The Hegseth who confirmed up earlier than the dais on Tuesday was just like the one lawmakers and reporters noticed on Capitol Hill in early December when he went on an all-out blitz to salvage a flatlining nomination: defiant and media savvy.
That was evident as he pushed again in opposition to allegations in a preemptive acknowledgement of what Democrats have been planning to ask about.
“What became very evident to us from the beginning — there was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us. That was clear from moment one,” Hegseth mentioned throughout his opening assertion. “And what we knew is it wasn’t about me. Most of it was against President Donald Trump.”
Democrats repeatedly attacked and grilled him on his previous feedback about girls in fight, the 2017 sexual assault accusation, his ingesting and his infidelity — all of which he tried to parry away by claiming they have been made by nameless people who have been hell-bent on taking him down.
He additionally received some backup from Republicans all through the day. Vice President-elect JD Vance complained Democrats have been “grandstanding.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a number one Trump ally, was maybe the foremost detractor of the Democratic questions, together with these by Kaine about Hegseth’s private life and three marriages.
“The senator from Virginia starts bringing up the fact that, what if you showed up drunk to your job? How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job?” Mullin requested.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it, because I know you have,” Mullin mentioned. “How many senators do you know have gotten a divorce for cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down? No, because it’s for show. You guys make sure you make a big show. … [It’s] hypocrisy because a man’s made a mistake, and you want to sit there and say that he’s not qualified.”
Girls in fight emerges as key subject
No previous feedback made by Hegseth appeared to generate as a lot blowback as did his public assertion in November that girls shouldn’t be allowed in fight roles.
On Tuesday a number of senators from either side of the aisle pressed him on his remarks, together with Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), who requested how he may lead an active-duty army that’s 18 p.c girls.
Gillibrand identified that as just lately as Nov. 7 Hegseth mentioned in a podcast interview the U.S. army “should not have women in combat roles,” because it “hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.”
“Please explain these types of statements because they’re brutal and they’re mean and they disrespect men and women who are willing to die for this country,” she informed Hegseth.
Hegseth responded that he respects girls in uniform however takes subject with what he mentioned have been “eroded” bodily health requirements to achieve “quotas” for girls in infantry positions. Gillibrand and others pushed again on this declare, saying requirements stay equal throughout the board.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Sick.), a former Military helicopter pilot who misplaced each her legs when her plane was shot down in Iraq, at instances raised her voice as she spoke on the subject.
“You say you want to keep our forces strong by not lowering standards [for women],” she mentioned. “Then let’s not lower our standards for you.”
However Republicans largely appeared to provide Hegseth the advantage of the doubt, with Ernst — a retired Military Nationwide Guard lieutenant colonel — beginning off her questioning by introducing a letter from a Hegseth supporter, giving him a gap to elucidate his feedback.
“Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles, given the standards remain high,” Hegseth mentioned when requested by Ernst if he would help girls persevering with to serve in such jobs.
“We’ll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded in any one of these cases,” Hegseth informed Ernst, who famous that the pair mentioned this subject intensely throughout their a number of “frank” personal conversations forward of Tuesday.
Hegseth attracts ire by dodging questions
A number of Democrats turned visibly upset in the course of the listening to that Hegseth sidestepped their questions, portray him as unwilling to reply robust inquiries.
At numerous factors within the listening to, the nominee declined to instantly reply questions on Trump’s potential army actions associated to Greenland and the Panama Canal, the usage of active-duty army in U.S. detention camps and his dealing with of a pair of veterans organizations.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) likened his solutions to the film “Dodgeball.”
“Unfortunately for Mr. Hegseth, his testimony thus far has failed to address the disturbing questions that plague his nomination,” Schumer mentioned on the ground throughout Hegseth’s listening to. “It appears Mr. Hegseth’s strategy is to follow the five Ds of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge.”
“Mr. Hegseth failed to explain, for one, why someone with his lack of qualifications should be entrusted to lead our armed forces. Why should America entrust our military to a television personality who has never led any large organization?” he continued. “It’s a huge organization, the [Defense Department]. He hasn’t come close to having any of that kind of administrative experience. We didn’t hear any good answer to that question.”
Hegseth declines to take a position on potential Trump orders
At a number of factors within the listening to, Democrats questioned Hegseth on whether or not he would observe a direct order from the incoming commander in chief even when it proved unconstitutional.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) requested Hegseth if he would deploy the U.S. army to grab Greenland or the Panama Canal, referencing Trump’s expansionist rhetoric from final week.
“Would you carry on an order from President Trump to seize Greenland, a territory of our NATO ally, Denmark, by force? Or would you take over the Panama Canal?” Hirono requested.
“Senator, I will emphasize that President Trump received 77 million votes to be the lawful commander,” Hegseth mentioned, declining to say whether or not he would invade the territories.
Later, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a former CIA analyst and new member of the committee, pressed Hegseth on whether or not he would use active-duty army on the American individuals amid fears Trump would deploy troops on protesters, to spherical up undocumented immigrants or for border enforcement.
“You will be the one man standing in the breach should President Trump give an illegal order, right? I’m not saying he will, but if he does, you are going to be the guy that he calls to implement this order,” she mentioned. “Do you agree that there are some orders that can be given by the commander in chief that would violate the U.S. Constitution?”
Hegseth largely sidestepped the queries, citing hypothetical conversations he wouldn’t get in entrance of, however he allowed that “there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed.”
Hegseth additionally mentioned he has been in conversations with Trump about securing the southern border, however that “everything we will do would be lawful and under the Constitution.”
