Pete Hegseth was forced to confront allegations of sexual misconduct during his high-stakes Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
He entered the hearing smiling after a standing ovation and ‘USA’ chants, but soon protests and chaos broke out as noisy activists were carried out by Capitol Police.
It remains to be seen if Hegseth, 44, can garner enough support to forward his rocky nomination and become Donald Trump’s next defense secretary.
Looming large over the former Fox News hosts were myriad allegations of his past sexual misconduct, binge drinking and mismanagement of veterans’ organizations.
These allegations have threatened to tank Hegseth’s chances of getting the Pentagon’s top job.
He is widely considered to be Trump’s most at-risk Cabinet nominee who is set to go through the bruising confirmation process.
Shortly after hearing began, Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., gave Hegseth the opportunity address the allegations head-on.
‘I’m not a perfect person as has been acknowledged,’ Hegseth said emotionally, adding he has been ‘saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny’ his wife, 39.
‘I’m not a perfect person but redemption is real. And God forged me in ways that I know I’m prepared for,’ the 44-year-old said resolutely. ‘And I’m honored by the people standing and sitting behind me and I look forward to leading.’
Pete Hegseth makes an opening statement during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his expected nomination to be Secretary of Defense, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. He addressed reports of his allegedly scandalous behavior saying that ‘redemption is real’
Jennifer Rauchet, wife of Pete Hegseth, sits behind her husband as he addresses reports of sexual misconduct
Hegseth, an Army veteran and the former host of ‘FOX & Friends Weekend’ on was the first of the incoming Trump administration’s nominees to face questions from Senators. Hegseth was joined by Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) (L) and former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) (R)
These eye-raising reports include accusations of rape, getting drunk on the job and other mischief. Almost all of the allegations came out after Hegseth was first nominated to secretary of defense in November.
One incident at a California hotel in 2017 involved a married woman claiming Hegseth allegedly sexually assaulted her, though despite her filing a police report, charges were never brought.
He said he was ‘falsely accused’ and was later ‘completely cleared’ for the incident.
An email from Hegseth’s mother condemning her son of being an ‘abuser of women’ also surfaced after Trump announced he wanted the veteran to run the Pentagon.
Hegseth, meanwhile, has denied wrongdoing in the allegations against him and his mother has said she rescinded the email and defends her son.
‘From the beginning, there was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us,’ he said of the scathing reports during the hearing.
‘That was clear from moment one, and what we knew is that it wasn’t about me, most of it was about President Donald Trump,’ he continued, claiming the target on his back only grew after he was nominated.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine also ripped Hegseth for being unfaithful to one of his past wives.
‘You have admitted that you had sex while you were married to your wife,’ Kaine told Hegseth. ‘You just had fathered a child!’
The nominee responded: ‘I will allow your words to speak for themself.’
Kaine continued, questioning Hegseth’s morality, wondering how he could take the oath of office seriously if he could not uphold his own wedding vows.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (L) and Kristen Gillibrand (R) during Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.,speaks during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth
Lawmakers also ruthlessly pressed the 44-year-old father of seven about his past comments on women in the military.
A testy moment came when the second most senior Democrat on the panel, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., pressed Hegseth on his past comments about how women should not serve in combat.
‘What do you have to say to the almost 400,000 women who are serving today about your position on whether they should be capable to rise through the highest ranks of our military?’
The nominee shot back: ‘I would say I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside you, shoulder to shoulder, men and women, black, white, all backgrounds with a shared purpose. Our differences are not what define us.’
Shaheen responded quickly: ‘Well, I appreciate your 11th hour conversion.’
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., also skewered Hegseth for his past comments about women and gay service members.
‘Women you have denigrated, you have also denigrated members of the LGBT community,’ Gillibrand yelled at Hegseth.
‘You said in your statement you don’t want politics in the DOD,’ Gillibrand continued. ‘Everything you said in these public statements is politics.’
She did not hold back on about Hegseth’s past remarks: ”I don’t want women. I don’t want moms.”
‘What’s wrong with the mom once you have babies, you therefore no longer able to be lethal?’ the senator asked. ‘I mean, you’re basically saying women, after they have children, can’t ever serve in the military to combat.
Gillibrand told the former Fox News host his past comments were ‘beneath the position that you are aspiring to.’
Hegseth confirmed he would allow women to serve in combat roles, despite saying in the past he would rather them not
Protesters with the group CodePink demonstrate at the start of the Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill
Later in the hearing Hegseth confirmed that women will be able to continue serving in combat roles. He said that ‘readiness and meritocracy’ must be front and center at the Pentagon.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, also pressed Hegseth on reports about his drinking at work in the past.
‘I have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work by people who work with,’ she said.
The nominee said they were ‘false’ reports and denied them.
He then confirmed that he would not drink if appointed to the secretary of defense, a claim he had made before.
Hirono also pressed Hegseth on whether he would take over Greenland at the behest of Trump.
‘Would you use our military to take over Greenland?’
Hegseth saying he would ‘never in this public forum’ talk about Trump’s military plans.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said she thinks Hegseth would use military force to take Greenland and the Panama Canal
She said it sounded to her like he would ‘basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal.’
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Olka., hit back at criticisms about Pete Hegseth’s infidelity and past drinking habits by taking aim at his colleagues.
‘How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?’ he questioned his colleagues. ‘Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it, because I know you have,’
Before the Republican spoke, several Democrats called into question reports about Hegseth’s drinking and ‘cheating on his wife.’
‘How many senators have gotten a divorce for cheating?’ Mullin continued. ‘Did you ask them to step down?’
Senator Markwayne Mullin called out senators for getting drunk on the job and cheating on their spouses, two criticisms lawmakers lobbed at Hegseth
A protestor holding an anti-Hegseth sign. He was later asked to leave
In addition to fiery exchanges between the nominee and the lawmakers, sparks flew in the crowd as activists broke out in protests before being carried out by Capitol Police.
‘You are a Christian zionist and you support the war in Gaza by the zionists,’ the first of several protestors broke out shortly after Hegseth’s opening remarks began.
It was an older man wearing a white suit who introduced himself as a veteran. The man shouting at Trump’s nominee was soon carried out sideways by Capitol Police.
Soon after, the room was settled down another protestor started yelling.
A woman in fatigues was creamed ‘we need money for veterans’ and ‘veterans are committing suicide.’
A third man began chanting about the U.S. giving ‘$8 billion to Israel to slaughter children.’
The man made such a fuss that within seconds he was carried out by at least four Capitol Police who hoisted him by all arms and legs.
Another protestor shouted: ‘You are a misogynist.’