President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead Ministry of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was interrupted by at least three protesters during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
“Veterans are committing suicide and homeless, but we’re sending money to bomb children in Gaza,” one uniformed protester shouted as she was escorted out of the hearing, Fox News Digital video shows.
Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, where he was criticized by lawmakers before the committee’s and final vote on his nomination for defense secretary.
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A protester wearing a uniform was removed from Pete Hegseth’s Senate hearing on Tuesday. (Fox Digital)
An elderly man who was handcuffed to zip ties was also seen being escorted out of the hearing. The other man, who also appeared to be wearing a uniform, was seen being taken away by the Capitol Police.
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A protester was escorted out of Pete Hegseth’s hearing to serve as Defense Secretary. (Fox Digital)
Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, has spent days on Capitol Hill in recent weeks meeting with senators to drum up support as he battles allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and mismanagement of the veteran nonprofit. Hegseth denied the charges and promised not to drink “a drop of alcohol” if the Trump cabinet confirmed.
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U.S. Capitol Police officers remove a protester during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Sen. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Hegseth about the protesters during his hearing, including about the 2023 war in Israel.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., questions President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, during his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese Communist front group these days, said you support Israel’s war in Gaza. I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I guess, like me and the President Trump, you also support that war,” Cotton said.
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“I support Israel destroying and killing every member of Hamas,” Hegseth replied.
U.S. Capitol Police officers remove a protester during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide. I guess it’s our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?” Cotton continued.
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“Senator, I don’t know. I think that . . . our troops, as you know, as many on this committee know, did the best they could with what they had. … And tragically, the outcome that we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn’t put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you well know, Senator,” Hegseth replied.
