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“President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, endured fierce Democratic grilling over everything from his inexperience, alleged drinking and his past opposition to women in combat to emerge largely unscathed among Republicans at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday… Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be Secretary of Defense and any vote to confirm him is expected to be very close.” Reuters
The left criticizes both Hegseth and Republican senators supporting him.
“Just compare Hegseth to Trump’s first Defense secretary, James N. Mattis, a four-star Marine general, commander in the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq and, out of combat, a top Pentagon official. Mattis lasted two years before resigning in principled protest over Trump’s erratic military decisions…
“It’s a safe bet that Trump couldn’t have chosen someone so lacking and flawed as Hegseth at the outset of his first term — before his total subjugation of the Republican Party — for fear of bipartisan rejection.”
Jackie Calmes, Los Angeles Times
“[This is] a gross dereliction of duty on the part of the Republican-controlled Senate… In contrast to the behavior of previous nominees from both parties, Hegseth refused to meet with Democrats on the committee before the hearing. In contrast to the practice at previous hearings, Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) refused Democratic requests to allow senators more than a single seven-minute round of questioning…
“Only Wicker and [ranking member Jack] Reed were permitted to review an FBI report that Reed described as ‘insufficient.’ The FBI failed to question Hegseth’s second wife, despite her expressed interest in being interviewed. It didn’t speak to the woman who accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her — and was paid by him in exchange for executing a nondisclosure agreement. It didn’t obtain the forensic audit of a veteran’s organization Hegseth ran that found ‘evidence of gross financial mismanagement.’”
Ruth Marcus, Washington Post
“What does Hegseth think of NATO?… Should we still be building new supercarriers in an era of massive drone fleets and cheap cruise missiles? Are we putting enough effort into our own drone programs? Do we still need manned fighter jets? Can we defend Taiwan if it comes to that? Should military troops be used for policing jobs in the US? Are there specific areas of military procurement he wants to reform? Are we putting enough money and effort into AI development? Nuclear modernization? The F-35?…
“None of these issues were raised. Not one. The only thing we really know is that Hegseth doesn't much like trans people and plans to root out DEI and wokeness in the military. That's it… No one even pretends to care anymore about serious military issues. What does that say about the upcoming administration?”
Kevin Drum, Jabberwocking
The right supports Hegseth and criticizes Democratic senators.
The right supports Hegseth and criticizes Democratic senators.
“Rather than hammer away at one particular point of emphasis designed to pull at the potential gap between Hegseth and someone like Joni Ernst, Senate Democrats were flailing, leveling scattershot attacks… Duckworth demanded to know what organizations Hegseth had audited, as if the Pentagon’s inability to sustain an audit is something that would require him to don a green eyeshade himself…
“[Duckworth] then demanded he name the members of ASEAN, who she described as part of potential negotiated military agreements. The only problem: ASEAN is an economic trade alliance, having nothing to do with the SecDef job. And then [Hirono] asked a series of questions about obeying unlawful orders — to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal by force, to get drunk on the job, to shoot protesters in the legs — and yelled whenever Hegseth began to answer that he would do exactly the thing she claimed…
“If the worst Democrats can offer as opposition is the scene that played out in the Senate Armed Services Committee today, the Trump cabinet slate is likely to be confirmed en masse.”
Ben Domenech, Spectator World
“Democrats mostly played into Mr. Hegseth’s hands with questions he easily parried, while Republicans asked little of substance. Many Democrats wasted their time framing Mr. Hegseth’s previous comments on women in combat as if this were 1994. But Mr. Hegseth said he now believes women should be able to serve in the armed forces as long as they can meet the same physical standards as men.”
Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
“Hegseth pledged to eviscerate so-called diversity, equity and inclusion standards, explaining, ‘The strength of our military is our unity — our shared purpose — not our differences.’ For that absolutely anodyne perspective, Democrats raked Hegseth over the coals…
“[Sen. Jack] Reed went on to criticize Hegseth for his negative appraisal of the restrictive rules of engagement often promulgated by the Defense Department… [But] Hegseth understands that all too often, the rules of war are turned against the humane parties to any conflict while those who abuse those rules are treated to their benefits… For too long, the American military has been run by generals focused on winning the internal political warfare within Defense rather than winning actual wars.”
Ben Shapiro, Creators
