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SIMI VALLEY, California—Pete Hegseth, the president-elect controversial choice for defense secretary, spent last week on Capitol Hill trying to convince Republicans he is qualified for the job. But some lawmakers remain unconvinced.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former military officer, said Hegseth will go through a “very thorough investigative process” and noted her experience with sexual assault when asked what else she needs to hear from Hegseth before supporting him.
“I am a survivor of sexual violence, so I have done a lot of work within the military on measures against sexual violence. That’s why I’d like to hear more about that. I would like to hear about the role of women in our great American military,” Ernst told the audience at the Reagan National Defense Forum here.
Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017; him later paid her as part of a confidentiality agreement. The Fox TV personality and former Army major has publicly done so as well questioned whether women should serve in combat roles.
Ernst said she will talk to Hegseth again this week and expects an FBI background check will give her more information about Donald Trump’s choice.
Other senators have expressed concerns about this reports from Hegseth drinking at workbut have since touted his promise to stop drinking if prescribed. His inexperience is also one concernHegseth has never pursued national security policy, held a senior military role, engaged in defense acquisition, or led an organization larger than a non-profit interest group.
He is an “anti-woke” crusader who has “embraced Trump’s efforts to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values,” as AP put it. He has also called for the firing of officers involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., pushed back on Hegseth’s plan, arguing that those military officials were following orders from their commander in chief.
“The candidate for secretary of defense has talked about wanting to go after the generals because they were too DEI, or going after those he considered responsible for Afghanistan, and I think we have to be careful about that. Our generals follow the orders of the President of the United States, the civilian commander and the Secretary of Defense, and it is not right to punish a soldier for bad decisions,” Bacon said. Defense One on Reagan’s sidelines.
Some of those generals advised against “many of the things” President Biden ordered but had to follow the lawful orders of their civilian leaders, Bacon said.
Politics recently in summary Hegseth’s position reads as follows: “Based on numerous public statements and writings, it is likely that he will attempt to undermine the military’s long-standing nonpartisan pluralism by removing diversity from the ranks, banning women in combat, insist the military to take sides in a ‘civil war’ against ‘domestic enemies’ on the left, and to orient the military’s mission around its fixation on the Muslim world, which it believes represents an existential threat to Western civilization.”
Trump has continued to defend his choice to write on Friday, that support for Hegseth is “strong and deep, much more than the Fake News would have you believe.”
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