Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s controversial decide for US secretary of protection, will testify at a Senate affirmation listening to on Tuesday, because the army veteran and Fox Information host faces intense scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault, extreme alcohol use and monetary mismanagement.
The Senate armed providers committee will convene at 9.30am ET on Tuesday to query Hegseth, who faces an unsure path to affirmation. Hegseth can solely afford to lose the votes of three Senate Republicans, assuming each Democratic senator opposes his nomination, and several other Republican members have voiced considerations about Hegseth’s private historical past and his views on girls within the army.
In 2017, Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a girl who stated he took her cellphone and blocked the door of a resort room to stop her from leaving, in accordance with a police report. Hegseth has denied the accusation, though his lawyer acknowledged that the lady was paid a settlement.
An explosive report from the New Yorker additionally outlined claims that Hegseth continuously turned so intoxicated at work occasions as to require colleagues’ help in getting house. One whistleblower additional accused Hegseth of utilizing official funds for the non-profit that he beforehand led, Involved Veterans for America, as a “private expense account”.
Hegseth has made extra issues for himself by suggesting that girls shouldn’t serve in fight roles and attacking the inclusion of homosexual troops within the army as a part of a “Marxist agenda”, though he has considerably backtracked on these feedback in latest weeks.
Hegseth pushed again towards the criticism in a Wall Road Journal op-ed revealed final month, writing: “It’s a textbook manufactured media takedown. They supply no proof, no names, they usually ignore the legions of people that communicate on my behalf. They should create a bogeyman, as a result of they imagine I threaten their institutional madness.”
Regardless of the quite a few controversies sparked by Hegseth’s nomination, Trump’s Republican allies within the Senate have voiced confidence about his possibilities of affirmation. Republican John Thune, the Senate majority chief, has reportedly instructed Trump that Hegseth can have the votes to be confirmed.
“The conferences have gone very nicely. Issues are on the right track,” John Barrasso, the Senate majority whip, instructed CBS Information on Sunday. “Folks will pay attention and make their very own determination.”
However Jack Reed, the highest Democrat on the Senate armed providers committee, indicated that his assembly with Hegseth final week did not persuade him of the nominee’s {qualifications} to steer the nation’s largest authorities company.
“At the moment’s assembly didn’t relieve my considerations about Mr Hegseth’s lack of {qualifications} and raised extra questions than solutions,” Reed stated. “As with every nominee for this crucial place, Mr Hegseth should endure the identical high-level of scrutiny as prior secretary of protection nominees.”
Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic member of the Senate armed providers committee, despatched Hegseth a 33-page letter with 72 questions on his private historical past and views on the army, most likely foreshadowing a contentious listening to on Tuesday.
“I’m deeply involved by the various methods through which your previous conduct and rhetoric signifies that you’re unfit to steer the Division of Protection,” Warren wrote. “Your affirmation as secretary of protection can be detrimental to our nationwide safety and disrespect a various array of servicemembers who’re keen to sacrifice for our nation.”
Extra broadly, Democrats have expressed outrage over Republicans’ dealing with of affirmation hearings, accusing them of attempting to “rush” proceedings to clear the best way for Trump’s cupboard nominees.
“The American individuals have a proper to know if President-elect Trump’s cupboard nominees are going to combat for them,” Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority chief, stated in a ground speech final week. “It’s laborious to not marvel: what are the Republicans attempting to cover about these nominees from the American individuals?”
A number of of Trump’s cupboard nominees will seem at Senate affirmation hearings within the coming days, earlier than the president-elect takes the oath of workplace on Monday.
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