Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Unwell.), a adorned fight veteran and member of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, says President-elect Trump’s choose to steer the Division of Protection is dangerously unqualified and has much less administration expertise than somebody working an Applebee’s restaurant.
“The manager of the average Applebee’s has probably managed more people than Pete Hegseth,” Duckworth mentioned throughout a press name Friday, referring to Trump’s nominee to move the Pentagon.
Duckworth’s sharp criticism comes a number of days earlier than Hegseth is scheduled to testify at his Tuesday Senate affirmation listening to.
“Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as secretary of Defense is dangerous. Being secretary of Defense is a very serious job and putting someone as dangerously unqualified as Mr. Hegseth into that role is something that should scare all of us,” she instructed reporters, previewing the challenges Hegseth will face earlier than the Armed Providers panel subsequent week.
The Democratic senator argued that Trump has tapped a “television personality” with out adequate expertise to steer nearly 3 million troops and civilian workers.
“I want to know what’s the largest budget he’s ever run. You’re talking about the Pentagon that has a budget of over $830 billion,” Duckworth mentioned.
She mentioned the most important group that Hegseth seems to have led is an infantry platoon, “which at most is 40 guys.”
She additionally referred to as him the “most unqualified nominee ever picked for this role.”
Duckworth held the press name to put out her considerations about Trump’s nominee, insisting that her objections to Hegseth aren’t motivated by politics however by what his affirmation would imply for nationwide safety.
She complained that Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the rating Democrat on the Armed Providers Committee, will possible be the one Senate Democrat who will meet with Hegseth earlier than his listening to.
“I have many questions for him, more questions than I can fit into the mere seven minutes each senator will be given during the hearing,” she mentioned.
Duckworth additionally famous that rank-and-file Democrats on the Armed Providers panel might not have an opportunity to completely overview the FBI background verify on the nominee, an investigation Democrats imagine might be essential to evaluate a sexual assault allegation from 2017 and alleged mismanagement of Involved Veterans for America (CVA), an advocacy group.
Hegseth has vigorously denied the assault allegation and dismissed claims of unprofessional conduct and mismanagement at CVA as smears.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to look at the FBI investigation before the hearing,” Duckworth mentioned.
“I know that I and the other Senate Dems have requested access” to the FBI background report, she mentioned.
“Before we broke for the holidays, the Republicans had indicated that we would be able to see them, but now it looks like they’re looking to just the ranking member and the chairman and the rest of us will not be able to see them,” she mentioned of the outcomes of the FBI’s investigation.
