Of all President-elect Donald Trump‘s cabinet selections, his nominee for Secretary of Defense, Fox News star Pete Hegseth, has so far had one of the toughest paths to Senate confirmation.
And while it appears Hegseth will win confirmation in a Senate controlled by Republicans with little taste for battling Trump at the start of his second term, Hegseth faced challenging questions about his fitness for the position during Monday’s confirmation hearing.
Many Democrats expressed concerns that Hegseth’s professional background was incommensurate with the scale of the job running the DOD. (Hegseth’s CV is inarguably slight compared to SecDef predecessors like Caspar W. Weinberger, Robert M. Gates and Ashton Carter.)
But Trump’s promise to disrupt the status quo portrays this aspect of Hegseth’s candidacy as a positive rather than a negative, as all the experience that might be relevant could also be described as “deep state” activity — the eradication of which is something Trump successfully campaigned on.
Beyond his comparatively shallow professional experience, Hegseth also faces questions about his character and conduct. He has admitted cheating on two of his first three wives, having a child with another woman while married — though he said in his testimony that for these actions he has been “redeemed by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
That assertion of redemption came amidst questions from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) focused on Hegseth’s ethics and alleged vices. Kaine repeatedly asked Hegseth if certain behaviors — of which he has been accused but denies — are “disqualifying.” Hegseth resisted saying they were.
About his exchange with Hegseth, Kaine concluded that the nominee had dodged three “not very hard” questions, casting doubt on his truthfulness and transparency.
Kaine: “Should committing a sexual assault be disqualifying to be secretary of defense? Not a hard question. Should spousal abuse be disqualifying? Not a hard question. Should drunkenness on the job be disqualifying? Not a hard question. He wouldn’t answer any of them.” pic.twitter.com/OKBNeNaDFo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2025
“Should committing a sexual assault be disqualifying to be secretary of defense? Not a hard question,” Kaine says. “Should spousal abuse be disqualifying? Not a hard question. Should drunkenness on the job be disqualifying? Not a hard question. He wouldn’t answer any of them.”
Below is part of the exchange Kaine references:
Kaine: Many of your work colleagues have said that you show up for work under the influence of alcohol or drunk.
Hegseth: Those are all anonymous—
Kaine: They’re not anonymous pic.twitter.com/QjYswZ9YxG
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025
Supporters of Hegseth accused Kaine, who has backed serial adulterer Bill Clinton, of a double standard. Some also asserted that since Hegseth faced no criminal charges for the behavior at issue, he shouldn’t have to answer questions about it. See below.
Kaine didn’t deserve answers to those questions, Hegseth hasn’t been charged with any of those things. Out-of-line questions are best not answered and Hegseth will be confirmed based on his stellar performance today.
— First Words (@unscriptedmike) January 15, 2025