Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News personality and right-wing commentator who said women should not serve in combat roles, recommended the military purge of generals and faced allegations of sexual assault and alcoholism, was confirmed as Secretary of Defense in the Senate by a tie. override vote by Vice President JD Vance.
Nearly the entire Republican conference supported Hegseth’s nomination while all Senate Democrats voted against his confirmation, resulting in a 50-50 vote. Three Republican senators – Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – opposed Hegseth’s nomination. Collins and Murkowski previously cited concerns about his personal history and inexperience as disqualifying.
Hegseth was among the most closely watched candidates for Donald Trump’s Cabinet, due to allegations of sexual assault and workplace misconduct that surfaced over the past two months.
Shortly after Trump announced that Hegseth would be his secretary of defense, extremism experts raised the alarm over Hegseth’s apparent affinity for far-right symbols — noting that his tattoo sleeve featured at least two images associated with far-right and neo-Nazi groups. Hegseth himself publicly complained that the U.S. military denied him service during Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration after a fellow military member reported him as a potential insider threat.
In his hyperpartisan 2020 book, American Crusade, Hegseth writes that he believes the United States is on a path toward factional violence and says the country faces an existential threat from the left. “You have to think, ‘Pete, you’ve explained this in pretty simple terms. Us against them. America versus the left. Good versus evil. You are overplaying your hand. It’s not that bad,” Hegseth writes. “Keep reading and think again.”
Before the confirmation hearings, Hegseth refused to meet with Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, raising concerns about his willingness to run the agency in a nonpartisan manner.
At Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on January 14, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said that since she joined the committee in 2011, every other nominee has met with her and her Democratic colleagues , before their hearing and questioned Hegseth’s reluctance to do the same.
After an article in the New Yorker revealed reports of daytime drinking and Hegseth’s alleged belligerent and drunken behavior in the workplace, some Republican senators appeared skeptical about the viability of the former Fox News host as a candidate.
Hegseth refused to answer questions about his conduct during the hearing, repeatedly responding to questions from Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly about accusations of sexual misconduct and public and belligerent drunkenness with a two-word answer: “anonymous defamation”.
“All anonymous, all false, all disproven by my colleagues that I have worked with for 10 years,” Hegseth said when Kelly pressed him to answer questions about his alleged alcoholism.
When asked by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin if he would refuse the unconstitutional orders and refuse to deploy the military against American civilians, Hegseth evaded a direct answer, saying “I reject the premise” of the questions.
Asked about his past support for three military officials accused of war crimes, Hegseth acknowledged that the Geneva Convention was the “law of the land” but complained about the “onerous rules of engagement” imposed by rights law of man.
Hegseth also insisted he would bring a “warrior culture” to the Department of Defense and emphasized his commitment to dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the military.
Trump’s allies united behind Hegseth and pushed for his confirmation, and what little resistance to his nomination within the Republican Party disappeared.
Even Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst — a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor who initially questioned Hegseth’s nomination — announced she would support him after her confirmation hearing, saying in a statement that she would “work with Pete to create the deadliest fighting force.” and compel him to fulfill his commitments to audit the Pentagon, ensure opportunities for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and select a senior official to combat and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.”
