Pete Hegseth hearing: Defense pick grilled on sex, alcohol, management allegations

Secretary of Defense hopeful Pete Hegseth called himself the target of a “coordinated smear campaign” as he denied a raft of allegations about his personal and professional conduct at a high-stakes Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Hegseth said that reports about his alleged sexual impropriety, alcohol abuse and mismanagement of nonprofits were based on “anonymous sources” and peddled by media outlets trying to “destroy me.”

But Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee grilled him about those and other controversies throughout the tense hearing on whether the 44-year-old Army veteran and former Fox News host is qualified to lead the Pentagon, the nation’s largest government agency.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., homed in on Hegseth’s admitted past infidelities and admonished him not to “make this into some anonymous press thing,” noting that some allegations against him have been made on the record.

Hegseth also faced an early grilling from Democrats about his past comments on the role of women and other groups in the military.

“You’ve denigrated active-duty service members,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. “We have hundreds, hundreds of women who are currently in the infantry, lethal members of our military serving in the infantry. But you degrade them.”

Hegseth responded that he respected all female service members and that his concerns were solely about whether standards have been lowered for the troops.

When Gillibrand asked for an example, Hegseth said there were quotas for female infantry officers.

Gillibrand shot back, “That does not exist.”

Republicans on the Senate panel offered near-uniform praise for Hegseth, and many echoed his criticisms of the U.S. military’s direction under the Biden administration. Others used their speaking times to defend Hegseth from the panel’s Democrats.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., at one point accused Democrats of hypocrisy over their questions.

“How many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down?” Mullin said. “No, but it’s for show.”

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in his opening remarks that Hegseth’s unconventional candidacy may be what makes him “an excellent choice,” and compared him to President-elect Donald Trump.

But the committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, bluntly told Hegseth, “I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.”

Reed said he finds the allegations against Hegseth “extremely alarming.”

“I voted in favor of all your predecessors, including those in the first Trump administration. Unfortunately, you lack the character and composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of Defense,” Reed said.

As he entered the hearing, Hegseth was greeted with a standing ovation from some audience members. But shortly after he began his opening remarks, Hegseth was interrupted three separate times by protesters who shouted at him as they were carried out of the room.

Trump has stood behind Hegseth, who has defended himself against the allegations.

He denied being pushed out of the two vets’ groups, and said he would not drink alcohol if he was confirmed as Defense secretary.

He has also denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a hotel in 2017, while he was at Fox. A probe by police in Monterey, California, ended without charges against Hegseth. His attorney, who repeatedly called the accusations false, has acknowledged that Hegseth reached a confidential settlement with the woman.

The district attorney later said she did not file charges because, “No charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

In his opening remarks, Hegseth said he is “incredibly proud” of the work he did for the nonprofits, and defended his resume and leadership credentials.

While he served tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth has significantly less senior military or government experience than other recent Pentagon leaders. Current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for instance, has more than 40 years of military experience and had served as commander of U.S. Central Command.

“It is true that I don’t have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years,” Hegseth’s opening statement said.

“But, as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’ — whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?” he said.

The revelations about Hegseth bred speculation that he could become the second of Trump’s picks to withdraw, following former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz scrapping his bid for attorney general.

But some Republicans have reportedly signaled in recent days that they believe Hegseth has enough support to advance past the Armed Services Committee and be confirmed by the Senate.

The circumstances of Hegseth’s nomination have drawn comparisons to the dramatic Senate hearing centered on sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee.

Kavanaugh, who vehemently denied those accusations, was confirmed 50-48.