Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Who: Pete Hegseth
Hegseth, 44, served in the infantry and was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge.
Nominated for: U.S secretary of defense
What does this role do: The defense secretary oversees the U.S. armed forces, second only to the president as the commander in chief, and is a senior member of the Cabinet.
Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, appeared to have united support among Republican members of the Senate Armed Services committee but he faced intense criticism right out of the gate from Democrats during Tuesday’s public hearing.
Ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who’s voted for the last eight nominees for the post, said Hegseth lacks “the character and composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of defense.”
He said Hegseth isn’t qualified to meet the “overwhelming demands of this job” and cited ongoing geopolitical threats including China’s undermining of U.S. interests, Russia’s war against Ukraine that threatens “the entire global order” and the continuing violence in the Middle East.
Reed listed his concerns about Hegseth’s personal philosophy, his limited management experience and reports about his role leading the political advocacy group Veterans for Freedom.
“In each year you were in charge, expenses far exceeded revenues, until the organization teetered on bankruptcy and had to be merged with another group,” he said.
Reed also referenced Hegseth’s book The War on Warriors, where he questioned whether the Geneva Conventions should be followed, and his book American Crusade, where he wrote that those on the left are not “mere political opponents” but “foes.”
Senate Democrats repeatedly chastised the nominee for not meeting with them prior to the hearing, as is customary.
They also referenced concerns about allegations of alcohol abuse. Former staffers at Concerned Veterans for America, which Hegseth led, have made allegations about him drinking on the job, fiscal mismanagement and inappropriate conduct with staff. Former colleagues at Fox News have also alleged Hegseth acted inappropriately when drinking.
Hegseth told Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tuesday that he would not drink alcohol if confirmed, something he told Megyn Kelly on her podcast in December.
Hegseth repeatedly referred to allegations against him — including sexual assault — as part of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.”
An attorney for Hegseth has said that he paid a woman who accused him of a 2017 sexual assault in order to prevent her from bringing forth a damaging lawsuit.
In his testimony, Hegseth said he was falsely charged, “fully investigated and completely cleared.”
“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real, and God forged me in ways that I know I’m prepared for,” he added.
In one of the most contentious questionings of the hearing, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine suggested that even if the 2017 sexual encounter was consensual, it still represented a failure of judgment given that Hegseth was married and had just fathered a child out of wedlock.
The chairman of the committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., acknowledged the allegations during his opening remarks.
“Regarding his personal conduct, Mr. Hegseth has admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time,” he said. “It is noteworthy that the vast majority of the accusations leveled at Mr. Hegseth have come from anonymous sources.”
The combative hearing was also marked by a handful of interruptions by protesters, who had to be removed by Capitol Police.
Hegseth made a point ahead of the hearing to smooth things over with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, an Army combat veteran who serves on the Senate Armed Services panel.
Ernst appeared to have concerns after an initial meeting with Hegseth last month. She later released a statement suggesting that Hegseth shifted his views on women’s roles in the military.
Hegseth responded to her questions on Tuesday by saying women will have access to ground combat roles “given the standards remain high” and pledged to name a senior official assigned to sexual assault prevention.
Various Democratic senators read Hegseth’s past comments about women in the military back to him, spanning from 2013 to 2024, including his comment in June 2024 in an interview with a conservative commentator that “women shouldn’t be in combat at all.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said she doesn’t know if Hegseth is “capable” of changing how he views women in the military because of his earlier comments.
Hegseth said that he has “never disparaged” women in the military and referenced “personal experience” of when standards were lowered. Gillibrand asked him to cite a specific example of standards being lowered. Hegseth did not give one.
Hegseth maintained his comments were in reference to standards and “not about the capabilities of men and women.”
“Well, I appreciate your 11th-hour conversion,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire said.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, said Hegseth changed his rhetoric on women in the military in November, calling it a “very, very big about-face in a very, very short period of time.”
“I’ve heard of deathbed conversions but this is the first time I’ve heard of a nomination conversion,” she said.
Women have been eligible for ground combat jobs since 2016. There are now some 3,800 women serving in Army infantry, armor and artillery. Another 700 women are in Marine ground combat units.
Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, a Navy veteran, has charged that the standards for the arduous Army Ranger School have been lowered to pursue quotas for women. Army officials deny that, telling NPR the standards for Ranger School are the same for both men and women.
Warren also asked Hegseth whether he would commit to not work in the defense industry for a decade after his service, if confirmed. Hegseth and Warren have both previously said that generals shouldn’t be employed by private defense contractors for 10 years after their service.
“I’m not a general, senator,” Hegseth responded, saying he hadn’t thought about what might come after serving as secretary.
In his opening remarks, Wicker said Hegseth is an “unconventional” nominee – “just like that New York developer who rode down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president.”
“That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice,” Wicker said, saying Hegseth would “inject a new warrior ethos into the Pentagon” and “bring energy and fresh ideas to shake up the bureaucracy.”
Hegseth has pledged to reverse “woke policies” at the Pentagon.
Reed said the military is both more diverse than ever before and more lethal than it’s ever been.
“I hope you will explain why you believe such diversity is making the military weak, and how you propose to undo that without undermining military leadership and harming readiness, recruitment and retention,” he said.
Hegseth said that Trump’s “primary charge” when he nominated him was to “bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.”
“He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, war-fighting, accountability and readiness.”
“I know what I don’t know,” he said. “My success as a leader has always been setting a clear vision, hiring people smarter and more capable than me, empowering them to succeed, holding everyone accountable and driving toward clear metrics.”
Hegseth can be confirmed if Republican senators remain united – something that seems likely given the tenor of GOP questioning and overall support of the nominee during the hearing.
This is in stark contrast to the weeks following Hegseth’s nomination in mid-November, when it appeared to be on shaky ground.
His prospects improved once Trump backed him publicly in his first post-election broadcast interview, invited him to the Army-Navy game last month and urged GOP lawmakers to get in line.
In recent weeks, Trump allies targeted wavering Republicans in a pressure campaign, including threats to recruit primary challengers to run against anyone who opposed him.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly emphasized that all of Trump’s nominees will get a fair process.
“I think he’s got a [confirmation] path,” he told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Friday.