Pete Hegseth faces crucial confirmation hearing as Trump defense nominee

WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect that of Donald Trump choice for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, pledged Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon, presenting himself as an “agent of change” to a testy Senate. confirmation hearing which attracted the support of demonstrators but also veterans.

Hegesth did not initially address the issue allegations of sexual assault, excessive alcohol consumption or its derision Perspectives on Women in Combat and Minoritiesas senators determine whether veteran TV show host is fit to lead the American military. Instead, he focused on his combat experience in the Army National Guard.

“It’s time to hand over the helm to someone with dust on their boots.” An agent of change,” Hegseth said in his opening remarks.

“It’s not academic,” he said, sporting a pocket square with the American flag on his suit. “It’s my life.”

When asked directly about the sexual assault allegation, Hegseth dismissed it as a “smear campaign” and an unfair attack. But he did not specifically respond to any of the accusations or tell senators that he did not drink or chase women.

The senators immediately began delving deeper into the questions surrounding Hegseth, with the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee acknowledging the “unconventional” choice and the top Democrat warning of “extremely alarming” allegations against him.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the president, compared Hegseth to Trump himself, dismissed the various allegations against him as unfounded and said he would “bring energy and new ideas to shake up the bureaucracy.

But Sen. Jack Reed, DR.I. said flatly: “I do not believe you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job. »

Hegseth, 44, comes from a new generation of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his military experience is widely seen as an asset. But it also provides a shocking assessment of past actions and statementsincluding on women, minorities and “Woke” generals. He swore not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed as head of the Pentagon.

Trump supported his choice, saying Hegseth had “my complete and total support” in a morning article.

The hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee is the start of a one week marathon as senators begin considering Trump’s picks for more than a dozen top administration posts.

Hegseth is one of Trump’s most threatened men. Choice of firmbut GOP allies are determined to make him a cause celebre for Trump’s approach to governing amid the nation’s culture wars. Outside groups, including those aligned with the Heritage Foundationare running expensive campaigns to support Hegseth’s candidacy.

In the audience were cadres of men wearing clothing expressing support for veterans or military service, but also demonstrators who momentarily disrupted the proceedings but were removed from the room.

The Republican-led Senate is racing to confirm some of Trump’s picks as early as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, despite potential opposition from some on both sides of the aisle. With a slim Republican majority, they need almost all Republicans to support Trump’s pick if Democrats oppose it.

Hegseth faces perhaps the most difficult path to confirmation. He has been forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, and his own comments, which are far from those of the military mainstream.

Pressed to oppose initiatives for diversity in the military and women serving in combat roles, Hegseth acknowledged that the military “was a trailblazer in courageous racial integration.” But he argued that modern diversity and inclusion policies “divide” the current troops and do not prioritize “meritocracy.”

And Hegseth has had to answer for his comments that women should “directly” not participate in combat roles in the military, a view he has softened following recent meetings with senators.

In a firefight, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told Hegseth, “You’re going to have to change the way you view women to do this job.” »

Gillibrand said of Hegseth’s comments: “They are brutal, mean and disrespectful to the men and women” who fight for this country.

Hegseth was sometimes combative and scoffed when Reed asked him to explain what a “jagoff” was. Only after further pressure from Reed did Hegseth say he was a military lawyer, a JAG officer, who was “putting their own priorities ahead of the warfighters.”

Many senators have yet to meet with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check because only committee leaders have been briefed on his findings. Reed said Hegseth’s background check was “insufficient.” He has not investigated or produced new information beyond what is already in the public domain about him, according to a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss it.

In many ways, the Hegseth hearing followed the pattern established during Trump’s first term, when one of his picks to become a Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaughfaced scrutiny following sexual assault allegations, but he turned the tables on his critics and recovered to win confirmation to the high court.

“It will be torn apart. He will be lowered. He’ll be talked about,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said at an event with former Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and Marines supporting the candidate. “But we’re going to get him across the finish line.”

Hegseth was largely unknown on Capitol Hill when Trump tapped him for the Pentagon’s top job.

Co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” he has been a contributor to the channel since 2014 and apparently caught the attention of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and news channels in particular. .

Hegseth attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deployed to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earned two Bronze Stars. But he lacks experience in the military and national security fields.

In 2017, woman told police Hegseth sexually assaulted heraccording to a detailed investigation report recently made public. Hegseth denied any wrongdoing and told police at the time that the encounter at a Republican women’s event in California was consensual. He then paid the woman a confidential settlement to avoid a possible lawsuit.

If confirmed, Hegseth would take over a military juggling a series of crises on the global stage and domestic challenges in recruitment, retention and military financing.

In addition to being a key adviser to the president on national security, the secretary of defense oversees a massive organization, with nearly 2.1 million military personnel, approximately 780,000 civilians, and a budget of approximately $850 billion. .

The secretary is responsible for tens of thousands of U.S. troops deployed overseas and at sea, including in combat zones where they face attacks, such as in Syria and Iraq and in the waters around Yemen. The secretary makes all final recommendations to the president on which units are deployed, where they go, and how long they stay.

The secretary’s primary job is to ensure that the U.S. military is ready, trained, and equipped to respond to any call to duty. But the secretary must also ensure that American troops are safe at home, with adequate housing, health care, pay and support for programs dealing with suicide, sexual assault and financial fraud.

Pentagon chiefs also travel regularly around the world to meet with international leaders on a wide range of security issues, including U.S. military aid, counterterrorism support, troop presence and build-up. a global coalition. And they play a key role within NATO as an essential partner for allies in the region.

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Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.