Republicans Rally Behind Hegseth, Paving Confirmation Path

(Bloomberg) -- Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, appeared on course to win confirmation after a half-day Senate hearing, even after he was hit with hard questions from Democrats over alleged character flaws.

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Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including its chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, rallied around Hegseth, who dismissed accusations of past alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement of veterans groups that he led as “anonymous smears.”

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Endorsing Hegseth, who’s never led a large organization, as an “unconventional” nominee, Wicker asked, “Has the civilian leadership of the Pentagon under the administration of both parties proven up to the challenge? Often the answer has been no.”

Hegseth can win Senate confirmation without Democratic votes unless four or more Republicans vote against him. A key member, Joni Ernst of Iowa, said in a statement Tuesday that she would support him despite her previous reservations over Hegseth’s prior opposition to women serving in combat and whether he’d crack down on sexual assaults in the military.

“As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks,” she wrote.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the committee, issued a statement after the hearing saying Hegseth “dodged and deferred questions about his conduct” and “failed to convince us that he is capable of running any organization remotely as complex as the Department of Defense.” He also said the FBI vetting “designed by the Trump team for Mr. Hegseth has been woefully inadequate.”

Christian Whiton, a senior State Department adviser in the Bush and Trump administrations, said after the hearing that despite lawmakers’ concerns, Hegseth would likely be confirmed.

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“I still think there are probably 20 Republican senators who are irritated that Trump has put them in a position of having to vote for someone who is unqualified or face potential wrath from him or his supporters,” said Whiton, now a now a senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and military veteran, testified that he and Trump believe “that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm” after years of picking generals, academics or defense contractor executives. Hegseth, 44, spent 14 years in the National Guard and was deployed to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In written answers to questions from committee members, Hegseth blamed shortages in military recruiting on what he and Trump have previously called “woke” policies that Hegseth said repel potential members.

“The US military needs to confront the reality and perception that it has become too focused on political issues of social justice, political correctness, critical race theory, climate change, etc.,” Hegseth wrote. “The military is an apolitical institution that should be focused only on lethality, equality, meritocracy, and readiness. When we return to those basics, I believe young people will be attracted to that.”

Democrats tore into Hegseth over allegations of past alcohol abuse and sexual assault, which Hegseth has denied, asking why they should lower standards for the top job but raise them for the rest of the military.

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After aggressive questioning from Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Hegseth rebuffed the allegations as “anonymous false charges.” Kaine retorted that “they’re not anonymous.”

Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, sought to push back against his Democratic colleagues, asking rhetorically, “How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? How many senators you know have gotten a divorce for cheating on their wives?”

In a hearing that was light on policy issues, Hegseth couldn’t name any members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and deferred to Trump on issues like future support of Ukraine.

“I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations,” Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said of international security discussions he would be engaged in his role. “You, sir, are a no-go” for the job, said Duckworth, who lost her legs fighting in the Iraq War.

On the other hand, Hegseth was well-enough prepared to discuss the Air Force’s new Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, or NGAD, and the Navy’s “unmanned underwater vehicle program.” He said it “will be a part of amplifying the impact of our Navy” because the current administration “has allowed our number of ships to drop below 300.”

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The nominee also deflected on questions about whether he would comply with hypothetical orders from Trump to invade Greenland or Panama or to shoot domestic protesters. But Hegseth said he supported Israel killing every remaining member of Hamas.

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