Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 20
ABC7 News: President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is heading into a potentially explosive confirmation hearing Tuesday as senators question whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the U.S. military.
Hegseth’s former experience in the Army National Guard is widely viewed as an asset for the job, but he also brings a jarring record of past statements and actions, including allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and derisive views about women in military combat roles, minorities and “woke” generals. He has vowed to not drink alcohol if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
He is among the most endangered of Trump’s Cabinet choices, but GOP allies are determined to turn Hegseth into a cause célèbre for Trump’s governing approach amid the nation’s culture wars. Outside groups, including those aligned with the Heritage Foundation, are running costly campaigns to prop up Hegseth’s bid.
The hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee is the start of a weeklong marathon as senators begin scrutinizing Trump’s choices for more than a dozen top administrative positions. The Republican-led Senate is rushing to have some of Trump’s picks ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, despite potential opposition to some from both sides of the aisle.
Hegseth faces perhaps the most difficult path to confirmation. He will be forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, and his own comments that are far from the military mainstream, though he has the support of some veterans’ groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as his focus on improving military readiness to fight.
Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check, as only committee leaders are briefed on its findings. The background check on Hegseth did not appear to probe or produce new information beyond what’s already in the public realm about him, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.
