Trump defense picks Pete Hegseth at Senate confirmation hearing

A hopeful defense minister Pete Hegseth on Tuesday he called himself the target of a “coordinated smear campaign” while denying it a raft of accusations about his personal and professional conduct at the start of high-stakes Senate confirmation hearings.

Hegseth said the reports about his alleged sexual impropriety, alcohol abuse and mismanagement of non-profit organizations were based on “anonymous sources” and planted by the media in an attempt to “destroy me.”

But Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee grilled him on those and other controversies during a tense hearing on whether the 44-year-old military veteran and former Fox News anchor is qualified to lead the Pentagon, the nation’s largest government agency.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., poked fun at Hegseth’s admitted past infidelity and warned him not to “turn this into some anonymous newspaper thing,” noting that some of the allegations against him have been made on the record.

Hegseth also faced criticism from Democrats early on for his past comments about the role of women and other groups in the military.

“You have denigrated active duty service members,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y. “We have hundreds, hundreds of women that are in the infantry right now, deadly members of our military that are serving in the infantry. But you’re degrading them.”

Hegseth replied that he respected all female officers and that his concern was solely about whether standards had been lowered for the troops.

When Gillibrand asked for an example, Hegseth said there are quotas for women in the infantry.

Gillibrand shot back, “It doesn’t exist.”

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in his opening remarks that Hegseth’s unconventional candidacy could be what makes him a “great choice,” and compared him to the president-elect Donald Trump.

But a Democratic member of the committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, bluntly told Hegseth, “I don’t believe you are qualified to meet the enormous demands of this job.”

Reed said he found the allegations against Hegseth “extremely alarming.”

“I voted for all of your predecessors, including those in the first Trump administration. Unfortunately, you lack the character and poise and competence to serve as Secretary of Defense,” Reed said.

When he entered the hearing, Hegseth was greeted with a standing ovation by some members of the audience. But shortly after he began his opening remarks, Hegseth was interrupted three times by protesters who shouted at him as they were escorted out of the room.

Trump stood behind Hegseth, who defended himself against the allegations.

He denied being kicked out of the two veterans groups and said he would not drink alcohol if confirmed as defense secretary.

He also denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a hotel in 2017 while at Fox. An investigation by police in Monterey, California ended without charges against Hegseth. His lawyer, who has repeatedly called the allegations false, acknowledged that Hegseth had reached a confidential settlement with the woman.

The district attorney later said he did he did not file an indictment for, “No charge is supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

In his opening remarks, Hegseth said he was “incredibly proud” of the work he’s done for nonprofits, and he defended his resume and leadership.

Although he served tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth has significantly less military or government experience than other recent Pentagon leaders. The current Minister of Defense Lloyd Austinfor example, he has more than 40 years of military experience and served as commander of US Central Command.

“It’s true that I don’t have a resume similar to the defense ministers of the last 30 years,” Hegseth said in his opening remarks.

“But as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly put people in charge of the Pentagon with supposedly ‘real credentials’ — whether they’re retired generals, academics or military contractor executives — and where has that gotten us?” he said.

The revelations about Hegseth have sparked speculation that he could become Trump’s second pick to step down, after former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped his bid for attorney general.

But some Republicans did allegedly have signaled in recent days that they believe Hegseth has enough support to advance past the Armed Services Committee and be confirmed by the Senate.

The circumstances of Hegseth’s nomination are drawn comparisons to a dramatic Senate hearing centered on sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee.

Kavanaugh, who has vehemently denied the allegations, was confirmed 50-48.

This is news in development. Check again for updates.