LIVE UPDATES: Pentagon Nominee Pete Hegseth Appears Before Senate in Crucial Confirmation Hearing

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox New host, veterans advocate, and now President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing on Tuesday morning. Some Senators will test the Trump nominee’s mettle on defense issues, while others, likely Hegseth’s opponents, will hone in on controversies surrounding his nomination before the Senate gives or withholds its blessing.

Note: This article will be updated in real time as the hearing proceeds.

9:00 a.m.

Tuesday morning’s hearing is a massive opportunity for Hegseth to shore up support for his confirmation among Republican senators. Throughout the transition period, Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill meeting with senators to sell his vision for the Department of Defense for the incoming Trump administration. Hegseth’s efforts have reportedly been persuasive, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., recently told Trump privately that Hegseth has the votes to be confirmed, according to CBS News.

It’s quite the reversal of fortune for the Pentagon hopeful whose confirmation seemed doubtful amidst a barrage of corporate media smears. Not long after Trump nominated Hegseth, a 44-year-old veteran who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, often-anonymous accusers hit the nominee with allegations of sexual and workplace misconduct that caused some Republican senators to voice concerns. These Republicans expressed concern about an alleged sexual assault in 2017, which Hegseth and his lawyers settled outside of court. Hegseth’s accuser filed a police report after the alleged incident, but no charges were brought against Hegseth.

Other accusations stemmed from Hegseth’s time at Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), a veterans advocacy nonprofit. Unnamed sources accused Hegseth of workplace misconduct, intoxication on the job, and mismanagement of CVA funds. A combination of these factors ultimately led to Hegseth’s departure in 2016.

The allegations from Hegseth’s time at CVA were rebutted by several of Hegseth’s colleagues from his time at CVA on the record in an exclusive piece of reporting from The Daily Signal.

Hegseth’s meetings on Capitol hill have activated some GOP senators to champion Hegseth’s confirmation.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., held a Monday press conference in support of the defense secretary nominee.

“We don’t need a general from the Pentagon. We’ve tried that,” Tuberville told reporters. “We need a drill sergeant, somebody that’s been in two wars, somebody that understands camaraderie and team and work ethic and time restraint and respect, personal respect, believing in yourself. First, we’ve got to get all that back.”

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Tuberville will be among the senators to question Hegseth Tuesday.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., who first met with Hegseth about his nomination in November, has rallied support for Hegseth in the media.

In a recent interview on Fox News’ “Mornings with Maria, Hagerty told host Maria Bartiromo that “Pete Hegseth is working his way through the process right now. I’ve been supporting him all along the way.” 

“We have got to get new leadership at the Pentagon, focused again on lethality and competence, away from DEI and pronouns,” Hagerty added.

As for the allegations, Hagerty told reporters in November that “this is just dredging up something, try to smear and discredit a candidate. It reminds me of what happened to Brett Kavanaugh. It’s a disgrace.”
Senate GOP leadership hopes to move quickly to confirm Hegseth and other Trump nominees upon Trump’s inauguration next week so the president and his cabinet can move forward with enacting their agenda.

The post LIVE UPDATES: Pentagon Nominee Pete Hegseth Appears Before Senate in Crucial Confirmation Hearing appeared first on The Daily Signal.