Washington D.C. – During today’s U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, the President-elect’s choice for U.S. Defense Secretary failed to effectively answer critical questions about his ability to protect our national security interests, his extremist views against women, or his multitude of ethical problems as a former non-profit leader repeatedly ousted for misconduct, accused rapist, and alleged white supremacist

“Pete Hegseth’s fringe-right views and major ethical problems – including alleged sexual assault against his own staff – run so deep that no amount of whitewashing from conservative Senators can magically turn him into a reasonable choice to oversee our national security interests and serve all Americans,” said Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk. “Instead of taking accountability for his past actions, Hegseth claimed he and Donald Trump are the real victims. Today, Hegseth confirmed that he is far too great a risk to run the Pentagon. Sadly, conservative senators seem eager to gamble despite what’s at stake for our servicemembers and security.” 

Here Are Key Questions Hegseth Failed to Address Today: 

Personal Misconduct and Transgressions 

  • How is Hegseth’s behavior as a civilian leader a model for men and women in uniform? Why should Americans have confidence in Hegseth’s ability to handle this position, given his track record of personal misconduct and organizational mismanagement? Documents indicate Hegseth was forced to resign from both of the veteran advocacy nonprofits he led, Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America, following allegations of sexual impropriety, financial mismanagement, and personal misconduct including repeat drunkenness, all of which reportedly produced widespread staff disgruntlement with your leadership.

Animosity Towards Women in Uniform

  • How will Hegseth’s misogynist views against women serving in the military not undermine the morale of the hundreds of thousands of women who do so admirably? Hegseth’s narrow-minded views on women in combat include statements such as:
    • “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated,” he said in a podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan on Nov. 7. Women have a place in the military, he said, just not in special operations, artillery, infantry and armor units. [AP, 11/18/2024]
    • “Dads push us to take risks,” Hegseth wrote. “Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units.” [CBS News, 12/13/2024]

Protecting Women from Sexual Violence in the Military

  • Given the sexual assault allegation Hegseth faced and the ensuing legal settlement, as well as reports of sexual impropriety toward female staff within the nonprofits he led, how can Defense Department staff and servicemembers be sure his appointment as won’t have a chilling effect on reports of sexual misconduct and the Department’s handling of those reports? Especially given the troubling history of widespread underreporting and mishandling of sexual assault and misconduct by the military.

Politicization of the Military

  • How can Americans be sure Hegseth and President Trump won’t weaponize the US Military against political opponents or those with different personal beliefs given Hegseth’s stated intent to systematically target and purge high-level military officers whose political beliefs he disagrees with? In addition to his self-professed crusade against DEI and so-called wokeness, Hegseth advocated for deploying the military against racial justice protests in 2020. In the wake of his nomination, numerous current and former defense officials have expressed concern with Hegseth’s apparent willingness to politicize the military in unprecedented and potentially dangerous ways.

Dismissal of Serious War Crimes 

  •  In 2018, Hegseth publicly pressured then-President Trump to pardon three members of the U.S. Armed Forces who had been convicted or accused of war crimes. These included Clint Lorance, who ordered soldiers to open fire on a group of unarmed civilians and was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and Edward Gallagher, who was found guilty of taking a photo with a dead prisoner and texting it to his friends. Gallagher had bragged that he “got him with my hunting knife,” and fellow service members accused him of killing the captive, and of firing indiscriminately on innocent civilians and threatening to murder members of his unit if they reported him. Why should U.S. military leadership excuse this reprehensible behavior — and how does this kind of behavior help protect Americans at home and abroad? 

Islamaphobia

  • In a whistleblower report, a former employee of Hegseth’s at Concerned Veterans for America noted that he had chanted “Kill all Muslims! Kill all Muslims!” while intoxicated at an Ohio bar in 2015. Hegseth has made numerous claims on the Islamic faith, including that Muslims are trying to “conquer” the U.S. and that Americans must wage a new “crusade.” How can Americans be sure Hegseth’s bigotry and personal biases won’t stain the policies he implements and the operations he undertakes?

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