Pete Hegseth is apparently the best Republicans have to offer. Wow. | Opinion
The Pete Hegseth confirmation hearing went as you would expect – with Republicans glossing over serious accusations.
It seems that Pete Hegseth has taken a page out of President-elect Donald Trump’s playbook, denying all accusations against him at his confirmation hearing for Defense secretary on Tuesday.
“Anonymous smears,” Hegseth said when asked by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., about alleged drunken instances of the former "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host being carried out of places, passing out in the back of a party bus and taking his staffers to a strip club. Kelly pointed out that many of the claims were not anonymous.
Hegseth’s reported drinking isn’t the only reason Democrats are concerned about his nomination. As I listened Tuesday, I quickly realized that Hegseth was going to face a mix of combative Democrats who are helplessly pointing out significant flaws because of supportive Republicans who'd give this alleged bad behavior a pass because it means getting “woke” out of the U.S. military.
Now that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has voiced her support for Hegseth, it’s pretty much a done deal. Thanks, America! A man with very limited government experience and a questionable past will be confirmed to oversee the largest military budget in the world.
Republicans are going to get exactly what they want. The rest of us should take note that this is the best Trump's party has to offer when it looks for real leadership for one of our most celebrated institutions. This guy?
Pete Hegseth dodged questions about sexual assault allegations
In 2017, Hegseth was accused of sexual assault by a woman he met at a conference. While no charges were filed, he did pay a settlement to the accuser, who also signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). This was brought up multiple times in the hearing, to which Hegseth responded he was "completely cleared."
“I don’t think ‘completely cleared’ is accurate,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said in response. “The fact is that your own lawyer said that you entered an NDA, paid a person who accused you of raping her a sum of money, to make sure that she did not file a complaint.”
Hirono isn’t the only one who brought up the sexual assault allegations. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., tied them to Hegseth’s infidelities and asked the nominee why he didn’t disclose the settlement to Trump.
“You chose not to reveal this really important thing to the commander in chief of the transition team because you were worried about your chances, rather than trying to be candid with the future president of the United States,” Kaine pointed out.
Does Hegseth want women in combat roles? Now he says yes.
Hegseth, who served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and the National Guard, has opposed women in combat roles. He said as much on a podcast in November.
“I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles,” Hegseth told host Shawn Ryan. “It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.”
However, ahead of his confirmation hearing, he seems to have changed his tune, telling reporters in December that "we support all women serving in our military today."
On Tuesday, Hegseth said, "Every service member, regardless of gender, who can meet objective occupational and readiness standards for a career field should have the opportunity to compete for jobs in that field."
Several Democratic senators rightfully took him to task for his previous stance.
"So help me understand, Mr. Hegseth, what extraordinary event happened in that 32-day period that made you change the core values you had expressed for the preceding 12 years?" Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked during the hearing.
That's my question, too. Republicans, specifically those in the growing MAGA portion of the party, have built their careers on lying and avoiding accountability. What Hegseth said in the comfort of the podcast should be believed over what he said while trying to get confirmed.
We need to realize this is the best Republicans have to offer
What's frustrating is that Hegseth's confirmation hearing is being seen as a victory by Republicans.
"Pete Hegseth is a 20-year combat veteran who earned two bronze stars and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., posted on X after the hearing. "I can’t think of a better person to represent our 1.3 million+ active military personnel."
Hegseth’s potential future leading our nation’s military is scary. The only thing scarier is what his potentially smooth nomination process could mean for the rest of Trump’s picks. We're entering a second Trump administration that will be completely controlled by a Republican Party that seemingly wants little to do with hiding the president accountable or with ensuring that competent people are running our nation.
This is where everybody should realize this is the best Republicans have to offer to run American institutions, such as the military. Republicans looked at the depth of their talent pool and came up with Hegseth. That should frighten us.
Follow Paste BN columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno