Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick, faced scrutiny from Democrats but support from Republicans in his confirmation hearing Tuesday, the first of many hearings to vet Trump’s top appointees.
During the four-hour hearing, Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., dug into Hegseth’s comments on women in combat positions. Other Democrats brought up accusations of sexual assault and misconduct, which Hegseth denied.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., delivers remarks during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on the expected nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
He received no critical questions from Senate Republicans, the support suggesting that the embattled secretary pick is headed for confirmation.
Who is Pete Hegseth?
Hegseth is a conservative Fox News host and the author of the book “The War on Warriors.”
In 2013, he received a masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, which he “sent back” to the school in protest on air on a June 2022 segment of “Fox & Friends Weekend” saying the school was “poisoning” the minds of students.
He is an Army veteran, serving as an infantry officer in the US Army Reserve and the National Guard. In his announcement, Trump called Hegseth “a warrior for the troops.”
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, gestures as he leaves a Senate Committee on Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 14, 2025.
Largely known for his eight years as a television host, Hegseth has been called an unusual pick to lead the nation’s fighting force. An Army Times article described his military experience as “radically different” from recent defense secretaries who had long active-duty military careers and were high-ranking officers.
His nomination process has also been rocky because of allegations of sexual assault and mistreatment of women as well as accusations of alcohol abuse.
What has Hegseth said about women in combat positions?
Hegseth has also faced criticism for his past comments about women serving in the military.
“I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles,” Hegseth said on a podcast in November, five days before Trump named him the next Defense secretary. “It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.”
In his recently published book, Hegseth argues that “women cannot physically meet the same standards as men.”
Hegseth appeared to backpedal under the scrutiny of the confirmation process.
“We support all women serving in our military today who do a fantastic job across the globe, in our Pentagon, and deliver critical aspects,” he told reporters in December. “So, I look forward to being a leader for every single member of this Pentagon, men and women.”
On Tuesday, Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee he is “incredibly grateful” for the “amazing contributions” by women in the military – so long as they meet the required standards.
What did Elizabeth Warren and Jeanne Shaheen say to Hegseth at the confirmation hearing?
Democratic senators like Warren and Shaheen took aim at Hegseth’s changing opinions about women serving in combat roles Tuesday.
“Why should women in our military, if you were the Secretary of Defense, believe that they would have a fair shot and an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks?” Shaheen asked. “If on the one hand you say that women are not competent, they make our military less effective. And on the other hand you say, ‘oh no, now that I’ve been nominated to be Secretary of Defense, I’ve changed my view on women in the military.’”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., speaks during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on the expected nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Warren said she has “serious concerns that your behavior toward women disqualifies you,” calling his backtrack, “a very very big about face in a very, very short amount of time.”
“What extraordinary event” in that period of time, she asked, “made you change the core values you expressed?”
Hegseth said “standards had been changed” in pursuit of quotas and percentages in the military.
If his opinions could be changed so fast, Hegseth could “go back to the old guy who said, ‘straight up, women do not belong in combat roles,'” once in the role, Warren said.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Cybele Mayes-Osterman
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Pete Hegseth hearing: Shaheen grills him on stance on women in military