Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for the secretary of Defense, was ready to fight back against his critics at his confirmation hearing Tuesday — and Republican senators were ready to help him.
No one displayed this readiness quite like Sen. Markwayne Mullin — who, in the process of trying to clear Hegseth’s name, dragged his Senate colleagues down, accusing some of them of voting drunk and cheating on their partners.
“You guys aren’t any better,” Mullin, who has been something of a hype man for Hegseth in recent weeks, said, directing his comments to the Democrats on the committee. Specifically, he called out Sen. Tim Kaine, who had asked Hegseth about the allegations of his alcohol abuse.
“How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?” Mullin said, to laughter in the room. “Have any of you asked them to step down or resign from their job?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it because I know you have,” Mullin pressed on. “And then how many senators do you know who have gotten a divorce for cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down?”
“It is so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself at this higher standard and you forget you got a big plank in your eye,” Mullin said, chalking up Hegseth’s history as “mistakes.”
Hegseth faces allegations of sexual assault, inappropriate workplace behavior, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement. He’s also come under serious scrutiny for his public statements calling for the elimination of women in combat roles in the military, and to eradicate diversity measures at the Department of Defense.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, kicked off the hearing with the allegations. Without skipping a beat, the senator set Hegseth up for his first defense.
“I should note that the majority of these have come from anonymous sources in liberal media publications,” the Republican chair said.
Hegseth took the opening — starting off his confirmation hearing with an attack on the press.
“All they were out to do, Mr. Chairman, was destroy me,” Hegseth said, calling it a “coordinated smear campaign in the media.”
Time and time again, Republicans on the panel used their questioning to help Hegseth present his case.
Democrats repeatedly asked Hegseth to commit to supporting women in combat roles and emphasized the importance of diversity in the ranks.
Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the committee, talked about his own experience in the Army.
“Women were prohibited from serving most roles. Gay service members were banned, and we rely on the national draft to fill our ranks,” he said. Reed continued and called out Hegseth’s own past statement, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat.”
Hegseth attempted to address it later on.
“Senator, you mentioned the ‘40s and ‘50s. You’re precisely right. The military was a foreman in courageous racial integration in ways no other institutions are willing to do,” he said. “However, the DEI policies of today are not the same as what happened back then. They’re dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells, not putting meritocracy first.”
Hegsegth has routinely referenced the standards of the military, saying that they were lowered to support racial and gendered “quotas.” Hegseth got into his understanding of those “quotas” in responding to questions by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
“Senator, recently, in the past, and from personal experience, there have been instances where I’ve seen standards lowered,” he said, referencing his book. “In ways, direct, indirect, overt and subtle, standards have been changed inside infantry training units, Ranger school, infantry battalions to ensure that commanders meet quotas.”
Gillibrand asked repeatedly for him to show examples of those quotas, saying that none exist.
When it was Sen. Tom Cotton’s turn, he helped Hegseth make the point. “What we’re talking about here, specifically women in ground combat roles in jobs like infantrymen, artillerymen, and were in special forces,” Cotton said.
Hegseth was prepared for the question, going so far as to pull examples for each job. “What is true is that the weight of the ruck on your back doesn’t change, the weight of the 155 rounds you have to carry doesn’t change, the weight of the 240-B machine gun you might have to carry doesn’t change.”
Cotton also used his time to allow Hegseth to respond to protesters in the room.
“I think this one was a member of Code Pink which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days,” Cotton said.
Even Sen. Joni Ernst, widely seen as a pivotal vote on Hegseth’s nomination, used her time to strengthen Hegseth’s arguments.
“It is incredibly important that I stress, and I hope that if confirmed that you continue to stress, that every man and woman has the opportunity to serve their country in uniform and do so at any level, as long as they are meeting the standards that are set forward,” she said.
“For the young women who are out there now and can meet those standards — and again I emphasize they should be very, very, very high standards … as secretary of defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?” Ernst asked Hegseth.
“My answer is yes, exactly the way you caveated it,” Hegseth answered. “Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high. And we will have a review to ensure that the standards have not been eroded.”
Ernst’s questioning gave insight into her private conversations with Hegseth — specifically when it came to matters of sexual assault in the military.
“As secretary of defense will you appoint a senior-level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” Ernst asked.
“Senator, as we have discussed, yes I will,” Hegseth said.
That Republicans so fervently rallied around Hegseth during the hearing shows the nominee has come a long way from his turbulent introduction to the national stage. After Trump announced Hegseth’s nomination, he was immediately dogged with allegations, prompting even Republicans to question his fitness for the seat.
But on Tuesday, it was a very different scene. Republicans emphasized Hegseth as someone who would be flanked with experienced defense officials and a loving family.
Mullin made Republicans’ strategy the most apparent.
“The only reason I am not in prison is because my wife loved me too,” Mullin said, throwing Hegseth the softest of softball questions: “Tell me something about your wife that you love,” Mullin asked of Hegseth.
Hegseth responded with a list of endearing adjectives. But Mullin wasn’t satisfied. Pretending to whisper in the mic he said: “Don’t forget about your kids.”
“I’m supposed to talk about my kids too?” Hegseth responded.
Mullin, leading Hegseth to the line he wanted to hear, began: “And she’s also the mother…”
“Brother, I’m pulling you along. I’m trying to help you here,” Mullin said.
—
John T. Seward is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.