Dem senator who blasted Hegseth’s qualifications stands with defense secretary who oversaw botched Afghan withdrawal

FIRST ON FOX: The Democratic senator admitted on Tuesday that he would support the defense minister Lloyd Austin reconfirmation if the vote goes ahead today despite Austin’s many controversial actions and repeated criticism of Trump’s SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth over his qualifications earlier in the day.

“Would you vote for Lloyd Austin if it came to a vote today?” Fox News Digital asked Blumenthal on Tuesday.

“I would support General Austin for Secretary of Defense,” Blumenthal replied. “I did when he was nominated. I would support Secretary Mattis who was nominated by President Trump during his first term. I would not support this candidate because [Hegseth] he lacks financial management skills, character and confidence, as well as a moral compass.”

During the hearing, Blumenthal told Hegseth, “I don’t believe you can tell this committee or the American people that you are qualified to lead them. I would support you as a Pentagon spokesman. I don’t dispute your communication skills, but I believe we have a right to the facts here.”

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Austin has been widely criticized by conservatives, as well as some Democrats, for presiding over the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as several other perceived missteps during his tenure, including a situation in which he was forced directly apologize to President Biden for not informing him that he was hospitalized.

“Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin oversaw a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, allowed the Chinese to rapidly advance to catch up with our defense capabilities, ran an MIA for days leaving the Pentagon leaderless, prioritized DEI policy over defense needs, and allowed Biden’s policy of appeasement, ” GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson published on X on Tuesday. “We need a DETERMINED leader who can focus the Department of Defense on its mission to protect America. We need Pete Hegseth.”

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., a military veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, unsuccessfully filed articles of impeachment in Austin in 2023. blaming him for “more than a 25,000 shortfall of recruits” and saying that there were “8,400 people who were unconstitutionally purged from the military … you have substitutes and DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] they teach in our military academies when to focus on the next threat and how to mitigate it.”

“Not only do I believe you should have resigned … I personally see that as dereliction of duty and I take that very seriously,” Mills told Austin during the hearing before recounting what he considered Austin’s failures during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. “Political optics were placed above real military strategy, where we were supposed to hold Bagram Air Base, hold the detention center… not close and imprison Americans by taking over HKIA (Hamid Karazai International Airport), a commercial airspace and leaving thousands of Americans.”

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Conservatives also brought up a controversy on social media from 2010, when Blumenthal first ran for the Senate, where he repeatedly suggested that he had served in Vietnam, when he had not. Blumenthal, who received several deferments from the draft before serving in the Marine Corps. reserve, ultimately admit that he “misspoken” about his record, but described those cases as few.

“Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who lied about serving in Vietnam to get elected, is having a bit of a hard time taking combat veteran Pete Hegseth’s scolding,” Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich published on X on Tuesday.

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“Reminder: Sen. Blumenthal lied his entire adult life about fighting in a war he wasn’t,” Fox News contributor Guy Benson published on X.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Senator Blumenthal made the case that Tuesday’s hearing was about Hegseth’s record, not him.

“The people of Connecticut have always been clear about my military service, which is why they overwhelmingly elected me to the United States Senate three times,” Blumenthal said. “This hearing was about Pete Hegseth’s record of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement that showed him unqualified and unprepared to command the 3.4 million Americans who protect our nation’s security.”

Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed reporting.