Hecklers opposing the former Fox News host’s confirmation hearings repeatedly cut short Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth’s opening remarks.
In his opening remarks, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the U.S. Department of Defense explained why Trump was still confident in his leadership skills despite weeks of depressing coverage regarding his alleged alcoholism and womanizing.
At least three demonstrators had been removed from the audience before he concluded his speech. An elderly man with a beard yelled, “You are a misogynist!” from the rear of the room as Hegseth attempted to interrupt him.
The protester had already been pulled out of the room when omnidirectional microphones opened up inside to record more of his tirades. Hegseth sat courteously, waiting to resume his introductory remarks, and took a sip from his glass of water.
“The primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,” Hegseth continued. “He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, war-fighting, and readiness.”
Hegseth was sitting peacefully and grinning for the senators when a second female protester shouted over him from the rear of the room. Officers from the Dirksen Building were trying to remove the woman from the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing by force.
The commotion was filmed on a C-SPAN camera as she was pushed to the exit while being restrained with her arms behind her back. A few press photographers and some audience members sprang to their feet to start recording the moment. Unfortunately for her, the distance between the microphones and the woman masked her threats against Hegseth.
“You may continue, sir,” said committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) once the woman and a man wearing a pink service member’s uniform were escorted out of the room.
“We will reestablish trust in our military,” Hegseth said, trying for a third time to make his case for confirmation, “addressing the recruiting crisis, the retention crisis, and the readiness crisis in our ranks.”
A third protester, not to be outdone, screamed louder than his forebears and struggled until several officers had to carry him out of the room. Senators finally had a chance to question Hegseth on some of the issues that have plagued him since his nomination was revealed in November, following five minutes of remarks punctuated by another five minutes of constant interruptions.
Republican Sen. Wicker started the investigation by asking the former Fox News anchor if there was any truth to several stories in the mainstream media that he had a drinking problem after leaving the service.
The reports were part of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us,” Hegseth responded.
By the end of the week, senators are anticipated to vote on Hegseth’s confirmation, giving President-elect Trump the leader of a national security team ahead of his inauguration.
WATCH:
Dozens of retired generals and admirals have signed a letter backing former Fox News host and Army vet Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary.
More than 120 flag officers voiced their “strong support” for Hegseth following weeks of intense media scrutiny, much of which came from anonymous sources.
They wrote, “He understands combat from the grassroots level and will bring that much-needed perspective with him as the next SECDEF.”
“He has studied and experienced the disastrous effects Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has on our military, and he is committed to expunging it from our armed forces. His focus is solely on warfighting readiness so that our military is prepared to fulfill its mission—to fight and win our nation’s wars,” the flag officers added.
The retired generals and admirals stated that Hegseth’s passion for the military was evident, and his experience in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrated that he was the “warrior” the U.S. needed to lead its armed forces.
They also pointed out that Trump chose Hegseth from a pool of other talented and qualified individuals, believing that Hegseth was the best fit to lead the Pentagon and bring about the necessary changes.
“President Trump has the right and responsibility to select key people who are capable of fulfilling his promises to the American people. Prominent in that mandate was making our military strong and lethal, to include removing what is called “wokeness” in the form of (DEI) from our armed forces,” the retired officers wrote.
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