The Senate Armed Services Committee is gearing up for a rare type of Cabinet confirmation hearing this morning — one that could actually matter. Democrats are looking to shatter the notion that Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as defense secretary is inevitable.
To accomplish this, the panel’s Democrats plan to rely primarily on the seven women on their side of the dais to advance their central argument against the 44-year-old Hegseth: that he’s unfit for this prestigious post.
For the past several weeks, the former Fox News host has faced withering criticism about his fitness and qualifications for office, as well as explosive allegations of sexual and financial misconduct. Some GOP senators privately wondered last month whether Hegseth’s nomination would even make it this far. Hegseth has denied all allegations against him.
Hegseth also has benefitted from a Senate GOP Conference that has expressed a high level of deference to President-elect Donald Trump regarding his Cabinet choices. Democrats, however, want to make it untenable for Hegseth to continue as the Pentagon nominee, or for Republicans to back him.
Senate Republicans and Trump aides believe Hegseth will get confirmed if nothing new is revealed about the nominee during or immediately after the hearing.
Democrats’ strategy: The Armed Services Committee’s Democrats, led by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), plan to drill down on the allegations against Hegseth, in addition to his previously expressed views on major policy debates within the Pentagon.
This includes Hegseth’s long-standing opposition to women serving in combat roles in the military, as well as his advocacy on behalf of U.S. soldiers accused of committing war crimes. These and other issues outlined in a Democratic-authored memo viewed by Punchbowl News will guide their questioning.
The Armed Services Committee roster includes Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a sharp questioner; Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both of her legs in combat; and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who asks every judicial and executive nominee if they’ve been accused of sexual assault.
“I will ask him those questions and we will see what his answers are,” Hirono told us Monday night. “I’m focused on the things that are already out in public, such as him signing a [non-disclosure agreement] with the woman who alleges that he raped her.”
The intention may be to anger Hegseth and prompt a reaction that feeds further into the allegations about his personal conduct.
Democrats also tell us they want to spotlight the fact that Hegseth’s FBI file, which as we reported Monday, isn’t comprehensive.
The FBI didn’t interview the woman who filed a 2017 police report accusing Hegseth of sexual assault. Hegseth later reached a financial settlement in 2020 with the woman after she threatened to file a lawsuit. The accuser signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of that deal. Hegseth, whose lawyer said he was “visibly intoxicated” during the encounter, has denied any wrongdoing.
“There are very deeply personal allegations that I think the party should be afforded the privacy of being able to speak in confidence to the members of the committee,” Duckworth said of Hegseth’s accuser.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), another committee member, said she wants to hear from whistleblowers who raised concerns that Hegseth was drinking alcohol excessively at previous jobs.
Latest GOP moves: Senate Republicans seem determined to advance Hegseth’s nomination as quickly as possible. GOP leaders have said they want to prioritize confirming Trump’s national security nominees, and they’ve called on Democrats to eschew slowdown tactics.
This obviously won’t happen with Hegseth, which might be why Republicans scheduled an Armed Services Committee vote on Hegseth’s nomination for Monday — Inauguration Day — as we scooped.
Among the GOP committee members, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will be the one to watch. Ernst is a combat veteran and a victim of sexual assault. Ernst’s political future and her standing in today’s Republican Party could be on the line.
After her first meeting with Hegseth, Ernst declined to back him. Following a torrent of criticism from Trump supporters, Ernst met with Hegseth a second time and inched closer to backing him.
For Hegseth, losing Ernst, while seen as unlikely, could prompt others to follow suit. Hegseth can still win Senate confirmation if he limits GOP defections to three or fewer.
Aiding Hegseth’s bid further is the fact that his focus on rooting out so-called “woke” initiatives at the Pentagon generally unites Republicans. GOP senators routinely argue that the Biden-era Pentagon has undermined the military’s readiness and effectiveness.