Pete Hegseth’s confirmation Senate hearing is off to a heated start, with Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) laying into him and denouncing his misogyny, racism, and terrible conduct.
Hegseth is the first and most controversial of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks to sit for his Senate confirmation. Trump tapped the former Fox News host for the role of Secretary of Defense, a role many believe he has no qualifications for. Prior to entering Fox, Hegseth briefly served in the military and attempted to manage two veteran nonprofit organizations. However, he is accused of financially mismanaging and running both nonprofits into the ground. He has also been accused of sexual assault, for which he has not been acquitted, given that there was no trial. On top of that, he has expressed misogynistic views, including wanting to bar women in the military from combat zones. Given that the military is supposed to be apolitical, it also seems very dangerous to put someone as politically charged and biased as Hegseth as the head of the Department of Defense.
Ultimately, with his long list of controversies and egregious lack of experience, Hegseth is expected to have the most difficulty passing the Senate. If not approved, he will be the first presidential cabinet nominee since 1989 to be rejected by the Senate. So far, at least one Democratic Senator has stated in very plain terms his scathing assessment of Hegseth.
Sen. Jack Reed offers scathing assessment of Pete Hegseth
Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearing began with a brutal opening statement from Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Meanwhile, he held nothing back, forcing Hegseth to listen to his long list of shortcomings and Reed’s sheer lack of faith in him. He stated plainly, “I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.” Reed continued by describing the disturbing allegations against Hegseth, as well as the bigoted views Hegseth has implicated himself of in his writings:
We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you. A variety of sources — including your own writings — implicate you with disregarding laws of war, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist remarks about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other troubling issues. I have reviewed many of these allegations and find them extremely alarming.
The Senator noted that Hegseth’s conduct “would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military.” He also touched on Hegsth’s political extremism, reprimanding him for breaking “bipartisan tradition” and refusing to meet with any other Democratic members of the Committee. Reed described how he’d worked with nominees from Republican presidents over the years, who agreed that “rank partisanship” has no place when it comes to “providing for the men and women in uniform.” He went on to further demonstrate Hegseth’s partiality by quoting pieces of his writings in which he described leftists as “foes” and accused them of hating the “foundational ideas of America.”
Reed concluded by seemingly confirming he would not vote to approve Hegseth, stating, “You are the ninth nominee for secretary of defense that I have had the honor to consider. I have voted in favor of all your predecessors, including those in the first Trump administration. Unfortunately, you lack the character, composure, & competence to hold the position.” His strongly worded opening statement succinctly describes the concerns many have with Hegseth while reiterating that dissent of his nomination is not politically motivated. While Trump and his supporters will likely rage that the Senate is conspiring against him if Hegseth is rejected, Reed confirms that it comes down to character and quality rather than political backgrounds. His words reassure Americans that the Committee is prioritizing America’s safety as it contemplates whether to approve Hegseth.
Published: Jan 14, 2025 11:34 am