Confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees began Tuesday with his controversial Pentagon pick, Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host who was dogged by sexual harassment allegations and has no experience leading large organizations. Was.
Senate Republicans want Trump’s national security nominees confirmed as quickly as possible and Democrats may agree to move faster on some. But they are intent on creating obstacles for candidates they consider ineligible.
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, has argued that efforts aimed at promoting diversity in the ranks have reduced U.S. military effectiveness, and has said that women should not serve in combat.
“When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,” Hegseth said at the opening of his confirmation hearing.
“He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on lethality, capability, warfighting, accountability and readiness,” he said in remarks that were interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Democrats on the committee have highlighted major concerns about Hegseth, from his personal conduct to his ability to lead the Pentagon, a vast bureaucracy that employs more than three million people.
Senator Jack Reed – the committee’s ranking Democrat – put it bluntly in his opening statement: “Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe you are qualified to meet the enormous demands of this job.”
“We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you. A variety of sources – including your own writings – show you disregard for the laws of war, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist comments about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, Implicates allegations of abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment and other troubling issues,” Reed said.
– more aggressive listening –
When asked about the allegations against Hegseth by the committee’s chairman, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, he claimed that there had been a “coordinated smear campaign” against him.
“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real,” Hegseth said.
He can afford only three Republican rejections and still be confirmed if every Democrat and independent votes against him.
But he has maintained his support of Trump, even as inflammatory headlines have multiplied, and Senate Republicans have been willing to listen to him.
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman turned Trumpist who was selected for director of national intelligence, is another candidate whose lack of qualifications and experience has raised alarm bells, as has her attitude toward American adversaries.
Gabbard met with then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017 and declared him “not the enemy”. He has also expressed sympathy for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, the opposition appears to be softening after reversing its stance to support a controversial government intelligence-gathering program, which they tried to repeal in 2020.
The nominees are expected to face some pressure from both sides of the aisle, especially Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary and an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist.
But former Florida senator and foreign policy expert Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for secretary of state, is a sure bet with bipartisan support, and will likely be confirmed before Trump takes office on January 20.
Rubio will have a hearing Wednesday with Kristi Noem, nominee for Homeland Security secretary, Pam Bondi, nominee for attorney general, and CIA pick John Ratcliffe, who has been confirmed by the Senate as director of national intelligence.
Bondy was Trump’s second choice after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration after facing sexual misconduct and drug allegations.
Some of the most potentially intense hearings have yet to be scheduled, including those of Kennedy and Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to run the FBI.
Patel — a conspiracy theorist who vowed in a podcast that Trump would come after journalists, lawyers and judges he believes have not treated him fairly — is not expected to get his confirmation hearing until February. Is.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
