WASHINGTON − Pete Hegseth emerged mostly unscathed by withering questioning during his confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday as Democratic senators laid into him over comments about women in the military and raised allegations of serious impropriety.
Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, kicked off a marathon run of Senate confirmation hearings − the first public questioning of the president-elect’s top administration choices.
The Hegseth hearing was Tuesday’s main − and only − event. The former Fox and Friends co-host dodged and demurred when confronted over an 8-year-old rape complaint that resulted in no charges and allegations of mismanagement and drinking on the job and said he was the victim of a coordinated smear campaign.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Armed Services Chair, said he was “encouraged” by the hearing. “I think he helped himself immensely.”
More:Pete Hegseth faces ‘big issues of character’ at make-or-break Senate hearing
There were no surprises. Democratic senators complained that Hegseth had not been subjected to a thorough FBI background check and that they were unable to gain access to a reportedly scathing whistleblower report from a veterans’ nonprofit he had run.
Hegseth, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, has scant executive experience. He has described himself as a change agent who will rid the Pentagon of “woke” policies he says have made U.S. forces less battle-ready.
Tuesday’s hearing was an appetizer for a smorgasbord of questions and confrontations expected Wednesday, when six different Senate committees are scheduled to hear from Trump’s picks to run the Homeland Security, Justice, State and Transportation departments, as well as the CIA, and the important White House Office of Management and Budget.
Stay with the USA TODAY Network for live updates.
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Hegseth confirmation hearing ends with cheers
After friendly questions from Sen. Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, the hearing comes to a close. Hegseth and his supporters are embracing and shaking hands as the senators and their staffers file out of the committee room.
Cheers break out as he exits.
Slotkin presses on deploying the military at home
Slotkin, a former intelligence officer and acting assistant defense secretary, pressed Hegseth if he would resist an order that conflicts with the Constitution.
She asked Hegseth if he had been involved in discussions about using the active-duty military within the United States, including detention camps and policing dangerous cities.
Hegseth acknowledged that mass deportations could take place in the new administration but declined to say if active-duty troops would take part.
She accused him of avoiding the questions, and “genuflecting” to Trump.
Asked if Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joints of Staff, would be on a list of officers who could be fired if he becomes Defense secretary, Hegseth said any officer could.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Sen. Slotkin asks if Hegseth would ‘push back’ against an illegal order
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., asked Hegseth about orders that Trump gave his former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, to deploy the military against Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020.
“Are you saying you would stand in the breach and push back, if you were given an illegal order?” she said.
Hegseth responded that he wouldn’t “get ahead” of discussions with Trump. But he did not answer directly if he agreed with a public apology Esper made after the 2020 incident.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Hegseth brands allegations of public intoxication ‘anonymous smears’
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, read off several instances of Hegseth’s alleged public intoxication through the years, including being drunk in public and in front of young female staffers. Hegseth branded all the allegations “anonymous smears.”
With Hegseth’s admissions that he had issues with drinking in the past, “it’s hard to square the circle,” Kelly said.
“It’s clear to me that you’re not being honest with us or the American people,” because it would be disqualifying, he said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
What has Pete Hegseth said about women in the military?
Democratic senators have taken aim at Hegseth’s past comments about women serving in the military. So, what’s he said?
“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.”
“Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units,” Hegseth wrote.
Hegseth appeared to backpedal under the scrutiny of the confirmation process, telling reporters in December, “We support all women serving in our military today who do a fantastic job across the globe, in our Pentagon, and deliver critical aspects.”
“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.
−Savannah Kuchar
Rosen presses Hegseth on Ukraine
Sen. Jackie Rosen, D-Nev., asked Hegseth if he, and the Trump administration as a whole, would continue U.S. support Ukraine.
“Are you going to stand behind Ukraine?” Rosen asked. “Do you have knowledge of a plan” Trump will use to end the war in Ukraine? she said.
“I will always give clear guidance, my best guidance…on matters like that,” he replied.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Duckworth reads soldiers’ creed to Hegseth
Sen. Tammy Duckworth read lines of the soldiers’ creed to Hegseth: “I will always place the mission first,” and “I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.”
Duckworth said Hegseth was unqualified and unprepared to take on the position.
“You, sir, are a no-go at this station,” she said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Duckworth says Hegseth is ‘unqualified’ for office
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.. called Hegseth unqualified for the office, questioning his management of the veterans organizations he led and his experience in international affairs.
The country needs a Defense secretary who is ready on the day he takes office, Duckworth said.
“You are not that person,” Duckworth said.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Warren digs into Hegseth’s women in combat comments
Sen. Elizabeth Warren dug into Hegseth’s comments on women in the military, saying “I have serious concerns that your behavior toward women disqualifies you.”
Warren called 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.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Hegseth asked if he would ‘abandon’ Ukraine
Sen. Angus King said he was concerned that Hegseth had not mentioned Ukraine or Russia in his opening statement. “Is this code for we’re going to abandon Ukraine?” he asked
Hegseth said that would be up to Trump, who he said had expressed a desire to end the conflict.
Hegseth circumvents questions about Geneva conventions
Sen. Angus King, the committee’s only independent, asked Hegseth about whether he was opposed to torture and past comments he made that rules of warfare held back the U.S. military.
“Are you saying that the Geneva Conventions… should not apply in the future?” King said.
Hegseth said he did not condone waterboarding and torture, but he said enemies “took advantage” of restrictive rules of war.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Kaine presses Hegseth on disqualifying conduct
Under questioning from Kaine, Hegseth declined to say if sexual assault, domestic abuse or being drunk at work would disqualify a candidate for Defense secretary.
Kaine dismissed Hegseth’s claim that the allegations were from anonymous sources, noting that an email from Hegseth’s mother had been cited by the New York Times.
“Don’t make this into some anonymous press thing,” Kaine said.
−Tom Vanden Brook
More:Pete Hegseth’s mother discusses angry email: ‘He’s redeemed, forgiven, changed’
Kaine delves into Hegseth’s infidelity
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., clashed with Hegseth over the 2017 sexual assault allegation. Hegseth told police the encounter was consensual and no charges were filed.
But Kaine focused on the fact that Hegseth was married at the time of the incident, and had just fathered a child with a woman who was not his wife. “I am shocked that you would sit here and say you’re completely cleared,” he told Hegseth.
“If it had been a sexual assault, that would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense, wouldn’t it?” Kaine said.
Hegseth responded that he was falsely accused.
Asked if he was physically violent towards any of his wives, Hegseth said, “Absolutely not.”
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Senator takes on ‘woke’ military
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, disparaged what he referred to as the Biden “woke” military and what he called the false narrative that the military ranks were filled with extremists.
Hegseth called the military one of the least racist institutions in America.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Hirono asks if Hegseth would carry out Trump military orders
Sen. Mazie Hirono asked Hegseth if he would comply with orders from President-elect Trump to deploy the military against protesters on U.S. soil and deport undocumented immigrants.
Hirono referred to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 when, according to an account by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Trump asked the army to shoot protesters during unrest in Washington, D.C.
Hegseth responded that he saw police injured by protesters, who he called destructive.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Hegseth denies sexual assault
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, asked Hegseth if he had sexually assaulted or harassed women.
“No, senator,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth has made a disturbing pattern of making disparaging comments about women and minorities and walked them back, Hirono said.
“You are no longer on Fox and Friends, Mr. Hegseth,” she said.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Would Hegseth carry out order to invade Greenland?
Hirono asked Hegseth if he would carry out an order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, a proposal floated by President-elect Trump with increasing conviction in recent weeks.
“Senator, I will emphasize that President Trump received 77 million votes in the election,” Hegseth said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
More:‘Buy us!’: Greenlanders shocked, intrigued, bewildered by Trump zeal for Arctic territory
Hirono asks if Hegseth will resign if he drinks on the job
Hegseth told Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, he was “falsely accused” when a woman reported him to police over an alleged sexual assault in 2017.
Hirono noted Hegseth had paid the woman a confidential settlement.
The two sparred when Hirono asked Hegseth about his alleged history of heavy drinking.
“Will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink on the job?” she said.
Hegseth did not answer directly, saying he is committed to serve.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Hegseth says ‘women will have access’ to combat roles
Sen. Ernst said it’s “incredibly important” for men and women to be allowed to serve as long as they meet standards. “I do believe in high standards,” Ernst said.
“Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles” if they meet standards, Hegseth said. Those units include infantry, artillery and armor.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Sen. Ernst, key Republican vote, has the microphone
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, an Iraq veteran and a survivor of military sexual assault, and one of three Republican senators seen as crucial to the survival of Hegseth’s nomination, now has the floor. She’s opened by asking about balancing the books at the Pentagon and reducing waste before moving to the question of women in the military.
Hegseth told Ernst he would prioritize an audit for the Pentagon, the only agency in Washington that has not passed one.
“Previous secretaries of defense, with all due respect, haven’t necessarily emphasized the strategic prerogative of an audit,” he said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Blumenthal asks if Hegseth will submit to a thorough FBI check
Blumenthal challenged Hegseth to submit to a thorough FBI investigation that included allegations of sexual assault and interviews with his former wives.
Hegseth demurred, saying he was not in charge of FBI background checks.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Blumenthal questions Hegseth’s financial management
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., questioned Hegseth on financial mismanagement at the two veterans organizations he headed, Concerned Veterans for America and Veterans for Freedom, which Blumenthal called “the only test” of Hegseth’s ability to manage the military’s $850 billion budget.
“Every dollar we raised was used intentionally for the execution of our mission,” Hegseth said.
Donors had in effect ousted Hegseth from one of the organizations, Blumenthal said, for mismanagement.
Hegseth said he was “extremely proud” of the work that he and others had done there.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Tom Vanden Brook
Gillibrand raps Hegseth quota claim
In the face of strident statements from Gillibrand, Hegseth maintained that infantry commanders had to meet quotas for women in their units.
“That does not exist,” Gillibrand said.
There are no such quotas, a Defense official confirmed.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Sen. Gillibrand hits Hegseth’s comments on women in the military
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand lambasted Hegseth for “creating the impression” that the military maintains quotas for women in service roles.
“I have never disparaged women serving in the military,” Hegseth responded.
But Gillibrand chided Hegseth for his past comments, saying he had “denigrated” women and LGBTQ people in the military.
“You said in your statement you don’t want politics. Everything you’ve said in these public statements is politics,” she said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Cotton asks Hegseth if he is a ‘Christian Zionist’
Asked by Sen. Tom Cotton if he considered himself a “Christian Zionist,” as protesters in the chamber had called him, Hegseth said he was a Christian.
Hegseth said Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza and that he supports Israel “destroying and killing every last member of Hamas.”
−Tom Vanden Brook
More:Why Pete Hegseth nomination is a milestone for the rightwing Christian movement he follows
Shaheen presses Hegseth on women in the military
Sen. Jean Shaheen, D-N.H., asks Hegseth to answer for his comments on women war fighters, citing, among many statements, a chapter in his new book called “The (deadly) obsession with women warriors.”
Shaheen asked Hegseth if he thought the two women on the committee who served in the military, Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, were “less effective and less capable,” using his own words against him.
Hegseth said he was “incredibly grateful” for their service, but added, “it’s about standards.”
Hegseth describes “amazing contributions” by women in the military.
I appreciate your eleventh hour conversion,” Shaheen said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Hegseth is asked about his efforts to clear fighters convicted of war crimes
Reed questioned Hegseth about his advocacy for the exoneration of several servicemembers convicted of war crimes.
“How will you be able to effectively lead a military in which one of the principle elements is discipline, respect for lawful authority?”
In his response, Hegseth called U.S. rules of engagement “restrictive” and said they “made it more difficult to defeat our enemies.”
Hegseth came to prominence in part due to his advocacy on behalf of troops accused of war crimes.
During his first term, Trump pardoned Maj. Matthew Golsteyn and reversed the demotion for Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher.
Golsteyn, a Green Beret, was charged with executing a suspected bomb maker who had been ordered to be released after questioning in Afghanistan in 2010. Golsteyn admitted during a polygraph test, taken when he tried to join the CIA, that he had killed the man. That launched an Army investigation that culminated in the murder charge.
Gallagher was convicted of posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter but acquitted of charges of murder and attempted murder.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Tom Vanden Brook
Reed questions Hegseth on threatening emails sent to military officials
Hegseth said he was not aware of threatening emails Sen. Reed said were sent to military officials threatening their positions and pensions for following military policies during the Obama and Biden administrations.
The emails, Reed said, called the officials “disloyal, corrupt, traitorous, liberal,” and he said their language echoed some of Hegseth’s own writing and statements.
Asked if he supported those letters, Hegseth pivoted to what he called a lack of accountability for the disastrous 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Hegseth rails against media ‘smear campaign’
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., offered Hegseth an opportunity to address allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Hegseth blamed a “coordinated smear campaign in the media,” Hegseth said.
In particular, he singled out “left-wing” media for, he said, not presenting his side of the story.
“All they were out to do was to destroy me,” Hegseth said.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Hegseth calls himself ‘a change agent’
Addressing senators about to judge his qualifications to lead the Pentagon, Hegseth stressed his record in the military. “I joined the military because I loved my country,” he said.
“When I took off uniform, my mission never stopped.”
To his lack of experience, Hegseth said, “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?”
“It’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm,” he said, calling himself “a change agent.”
Hegseth began his statement by thanking his wife, Jennifer, whom he said had changed his life, his parents and seven children. He also credited his faith in God.
He praised President-elect Donald Trump, who he said charged him with bringing back a “warrior culture” to the Pentagon.
−Tom Vanden Brook and Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Protesters removed during Hegseth statement
Protesters have interrupted Hegseth’s opening statement with a series of outbursts. Chairman Wicker orders them removed.
“You are a misogynist,” said one man, who identied himself as a Vietnam veteran and criticized Hegseth for his support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Hey corrupt senators, when are you going to stop the war in Gaza?” another woman yelled as she was pulled out of the chamber.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Glowing introductions for Hegseth criticize Pentagon status quo
Norm Coleman, a former U.S. Senator for Minnesota, introduced Hegseth as a “son of Minnesota.”
“He is young in the best sense of the word,” Coleman said. “He has struggled and overcome great personal challenges. Please don’t get into the cynical notion that people can’t change.”
Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican congressman and Trump’s pick for National Security Advisor, called Hegseth a “dear friend” and said he was prepared to revamp a Pentagon that he said “continuously failed” at its mission.
“I have no doubt that he is going to get the Pentagon back to his primary mission – lethal readiness,” he said.
“This is a man who can reinvigorate that warrior ethos.”
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
‘You lack the character’ to lead, Reed tells Hegseth
Reed criticized Hegseth for statements he’s made about diversity at the Pentagon. Hegseth has said that “Diversity is not our strength.”
Reed, who served in the Army in the 1970s, said the military was not stronger when women were prohibited from combat, and the Pentagon banned gay and lesbian people from serving.
“Our military is more diverse than it has ever been, but more importantly, it is more lethal it has ever been,” Reed said. “This is not a coincidence. Mr. Hegseth, 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.”
Reed noted that he has supported nine previous nominees for Defense secretary, but says he cannot vote in favor of Hegseth.
Running though a litany of allegations against Hegseth, including that he mismanaged two non-profit veterans’ organizations, Reed winds up his statement: “Unfortunately, you lack the character and composure to hold the position of secretary of Defense.”
−Tom Vanden Brook
Top Democrat registers opposition to Pete Hegseth
Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat, makes clear his opposition to Hegseth in his opening statement, before the former TV host has heard a single question.
Reed listed the challenges facing the Pentagon: confronting China and Russia, dealing with turmoil in the Middle East, the threat of violent extremism. The next Defense secretary will need experience, wisdom and character, Reed said.
“Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job,” Reed said.
Reed went on to question Hegseth’s alleged incidents of sexual assault and harassment, alcohol abuse, mismanagement of the non-profit veterans’ organizations he led, criticism of women in combat and championing the causes of troops convicted of war crimes.
“I have reviewed many of these allegations and find them extremely alarming,” Reed said.
−Tom Vanden Brook
Wicker praises Hegseth as unconventional but ‘excellent’ pick
In his opening statement, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Armed Services Committee’s Republican chair, called Hegseth an “excellent choice” because of, not in spite of, his unconventional background.
He compared Hegseth’s inexperience to Trump, “that New York developer who rode down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president.”
“I’m confident that Mr. Hegseth, supported by a team of experienced top officials, will get the job done,” he said.
Wicker described Hegseth as the right nominee to shake up a Pentagon “no longer prepared for great power competition” at a precarious global moment.
Of Hegseth’s past, Wicker said Hegseth had “admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time.”
“It is noteworthy that the vast majority of the accusations leveled at Mr. Hegseth have come from anonymous sources,” he said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna provides front row support
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., took a front row seat. As a “veteran and also a female member of Congress,” Luna said, “I’m here today to show support for Pete Hegseth.”
“They said that he was an alcoholic or implied it, that he was a womanizer, all this crazy stuff, a white nationalist,” she said. “Clearly, I would not support any of that, and I’ve looked through those allegations, they are categorically false.”
Asked about Hegseth’s comments on women in combat, Paulina Luna said she agreed that women should be barred from some such roles. “If you have a mixed team, I think it could jeopardize the value of that mission,” she said.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
More:Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing: What to know, how to watch
Applause and chants as Hegseth enters
Hegseth enters the hearing room with members of his family to applause and chants of “U-S-A!” The chants quickly subside.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chair of the Armed Services Committee, opens the hearing with a moment of silence for victims of the Southern California wildfires and a note of thanks to Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member and former chair.
He asks the audience to stay quiet and avoid disruptions.
Senate prepares to question Hegseth
The brightly-lit Senate hearing room was buzzing with activity Tuesday morning as senators prepared to publicly question Hegseth.
Committee and media personnel streamed past the velvet barriers separating the audience from a semicircle of senators’ desks.
A line of Hegseth supporters wearing matching baseball caps and red pins reading “Vets for Hegseth” filled a full row.
Two protesters with antiwar group Code Pink held signs up at the front, one reading, “No Hegseth, No Christian Jihad,” before a guard ordered them not to hold the signs above their heads.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
What questions does Pete Hegseth face?
Senators on the Armed Services Committee are looking for answers from Hegseth on how he would manage the military’s $850 billion budget and its 2 million servicemembers. Also on the table are how Hegseth would approach ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and increasing tension with China.
More:Why Pete Hegseth nomination is a milestone for the rightwing Christian movement he follows
Hegseth, a 44-year-old former Fox News host and veteran, could face tough questions about his personal life and past, including his reported history of heavy drinking, his treatment of women and a sexual assault allegation filed against him eight years ago. Hegseth has denied abusing alcohol on the job and says a disputed 2017 sexual encounter was consensual.
Senators’ sights are also trained on Hegseth’s past comments opposing women serving in combat roles, which he walked back in the run-up to the hearing. A cultural critic of the military, Hegseth has accused the Pentagon of relaxing its personnel and training standards and adopting so-called “woke” ideology.
Does Hegseth have the votes for confirmation?
Hegseth needs a majority – 51 votes – to be confirmed in the Senate. With Republicans in the majority, he would win confirmation if every Republican voted for him.
More:Pressure piles on Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst over Pete Hegseth confirmation fight
But the Republican majority is slight, leaving Hegseth room to lose just three Republican votes. And some Republican senators have said they need to see more before they can cast a vote for him.
They include three women senators – Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Joni Ernst of Iowa. To Ernst, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, Hegseth’s past comments and history have personal significance.
2017 sexual assault allegation hangs over Hegseth hearing
Since Hegseth’s appointment in November, a murky sexual assault allegation filed in 2017 has dogged his attempts to win over senators.
A staffer for California Federation of Republican Women filed a police report that year after she said he assaulted her at a hotel conference. No charges were filed.
Hegseth later paid the woman an undisclosed amount to settle a potential civil lawsuit, in a settlement that included a confidentiality clause barring her from talking about the incident, according to his attorney, Timothy Parlatore.
Hegseth said he was “buzzed” but not drunk at the time, and that the encounter was consensual. But Parlatore told news sources in the last few months that Hegseth was “visibly intoxicated” and the woman was “the aggressor.”
What time is the Pete Hegseth hearing?
Hegseth’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee is set to begin on 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 14.