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| Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Army veteran questioned Pete Hegseth's qualifications. |
United States Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, practically jumped out of her seat and shouted, "You are not qualified," at Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of State.
Duckworth's statement concluded her fiery rilling of Hegseth who is being questioned by the US Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday. She was joined by Sen. Mazie Herono, D-HI, in raising questions about Hegseth's qualifications, previous statements and behavior.
Combat veteran Duckworth — who served 23 years in the Reserve Forces—slammed Hegseth on his utter lack of experience and qualifications to lead the Department of Defense at his confirmation hearing.
At the hearing, Duckworth demonstrated some of the areas where Hegseth lacks the experience or knowledge that a serious Defense Secretary nominee should have, grilling him on basic questions that he failed to answer:
While serving a tour in Iraq, Duckworth's helicopter was shot down where she was severely injured resulting in the loss of legs.
“Senator, those are multiple false reports peddled by NBC News—,” said Hegseth.
“I’m not hearing the answer to my question,” Hirono said while Hegseth tried to speak over her.
“You recently promised some of my Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking, and won’t drink if confirmed, correct?” she continued. Hegseth confirmed it to be “absolutely” true.
“Will you resign as secretary of defense if you drink on the job, which is a 24/7 position?” Hirono persisted in her questioning.
Hegseth started to answer the question indirectly, prompting Hirono to repeat the question. Hegseth again deflected. “I’m not hearing an answer to my question, so I will move on,” Hirono said again calmly.
Hegseth has been accused by former co-workers of being drunk on the job, even reportedly once yelling, “Kill all Muslims” while allegedly drunk, reports Yahoo.
Hirono began questioning Hegseth about using police and the military against protesters.
“In 2020, then-President Trump directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs in downtown D.C., an order Secretary Esper refused to comply with. Would you carry out such an order from President Trump?” asked Hirono, referring to the Black Lives Matter protests.
“I was in the National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events—”
Hirono interrupted, asking her question again: “Would you carry out an order to shoot protesters in the legs, as directed to Secretary Esper?” Hegseth continued talking while she talked.
“You know what, that sounds to me that you will comply with such an order; you will shoot protesters in the leg,” Hirono replied. “Moving on!”
Hegseth, 44, was largely unknown in when Trump tapped him for the top Pentagon job.
A former co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014 and apparently caught the eye of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and the news channel, in particular.
Hegseth attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. Reaching the rank of major, he lacks senior military and national security experience.
Several women have come forth and claim that he He paid off a woman who alleged that Hegseth at sexually assaulted her at a Republican function in California in 2017.
Prior to his nomination, he criticizd the militry efforts to diversify its ranks and he said that women should not be in combat but he has softened his stance in the months before the Senate hearing.
Republican nominees can say anyting in order to be donfirmed. Like the Supreme Court judicial confirmation hearings, where the then-nominees said they respect previous SCOTUS decisions, once confirmed the justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and weakened the Voting Rights act.
Pointing to a framed copy of the Soldier’s Creed—a copy that hangs over her desk in the Senate and hung above her bed during her recovery at Walter Reed Medical Center after the helicopter she co-piloted was shot down—Duckworth urged Mr. Hegseth to follow this Creed as our servicemembers do every day, placing the mission above personal ambition.
“Every day, our servicemembers follow the Soldier’s Creed as we ask them to leave their families, walk into enemy fire and be ready for the mission until their very last breath,” said Duckworth. “How can we ask these warriors to train to the absolute highest standard, if we confirm a guy who is asking us to lower the standard to make him Secretary of Defense? The very idea that Pete Hegseth is the person to lead our heroes is an insult to the troops who sacrifice so much for the rest of us.”
Duckworth's statement concluded her fiery rilling of Hegseth who is being questioned by the US Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday. She was joined by Sen. Mazie Herono, D-HI, in raising questions about Hegseth's qualifications, previous statements and behavior.
Combat veteran Duckworth — who served 23 years in the Reserve Forces—slammed Hegseth on his utter lack of experience and qualifications to lead the Department of Defense at his confirmation hearing.
At the hearing, Duckworth demonstrated some of the areas where Hegseth lacks the experience or knowledge that a serious Defense Secretary nominee should have, grilling him on basic questions that he failed to answer:
- She asked him if he ever led an audit. He would not confirm.
- She asked him to describe at least one of the main international security agreements a Secretary of Defense is responsible for leading. He could not name any.
- She asked him to name at least one nation that is a part of ASEAN, an organization with several member states who have mutual defense treaties, alliances or enhanced defense cooperation agreements with the U.S. None of the three countries he named were correct.
While serving a tour in Iraq, Duckworth's helicopter was shot down where she was severely injured resulting in the loss of legs.
FYI: Watch the questioning by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Mazie Hirono.The other Asian American senator on the committee also made Hegeth squirm. “I have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work, including by people who worked with you at Fox News,” asked Senato rHirono. “Do you know that being drunk at work is prohibited for service members under the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice)?”
“Senator, those are multiple false reports peddled by NBC News—,” said Hegseth.
“I’m not hearing the answer to my question,” Hirono said while Hegseth tried to speak over her.
“You recently promised some of my Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking, and won’t drink if confirmed, correct?” she continued. Hegseth confirmed it to be “absolutely” true.
“Will you resign as secretary of defense if you drink on the job, which is a 24/7 position?” Hirono persisted in her questioning.
Hegseth started to answer the question indirectly, prompting Hirono to repeat the question. Hegseth again deflected. “I’m not hearing an answer to my question, so I will move on,” Hirono said again calmly.
Hegseth has been accused by former co-workers of being drunk on the job, even reportedly once yelling, “Kill all Muslims” while allegedly drunk, reports Yahoo.
Hirono began questioning Hegseth about using police and the military against protesters.
“In 2020, then-President Trump directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs in downtown D.C., an order Secretary Esper refused to comply with. Would you carry out such an order from President Trump?” asked Hirono, referring to the Black Lives Matter protests.
“I was in the National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events—”
Hirono interrupted, asking her question again: “Would you carry out an order to shoot protesters in the legs, as directed to Secretary Esper?” Hegseth continued talking while she talked.
“You know what, that sounds to me that you will comply with such an order; you will shoot protesters in the leg,” Hirono replied. “Moving on!”
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| Sen. Mazie Hirono brought up Pete Hegseth's past allegations of |
Hegseth, 44, was largely unknown in when Trump tapped him for the top Pentagon job.
A former co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014 and apparently caught the eye of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and the news channel, in particular.
Hegseth attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. Reaching the rank of major, he lacks senior military and national security experience.
Several women have come forth and claim that he He paid off a woman who alleged that Hegseth at sexually assaulted her at a Republican function in California in 2017.
Prior to his nomination, he criticizd the militry efforts to diversify its ranks and he said that women should not be in combat but he has softened his stance in the months before the Senate hearing.
Republican nominees can say anyting in order to be donfirmed. Like the Supreme Court judicial confirmation hearings, where the then-nominees said they respect previous SCOTUS decisions, once confirmed the justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and weakened the Voting Rights act.
Following the GOP strategy, Hegseth has simply denied those accusations, claiming that they are part of a "coordinated smear campaign."
Despite the Democrats' grilling of Hegseth's qualifications and questionable past, he is likely to get the committee's confirmation as the Republican majority walks in lock-step to Trump's orders. Following the expected confirmation, the question will go before the full Senate where Republicans hold a slim edge 51-49.
Influential and rich Republicans threaten to run opponents against any GOP seantor who votes against Trump's nominations.
Pointing to a framed copy of the Soldier’s Creed—a copy that hangs over her desk in the Senate and hung above her bed during her recovery at Walter Reed Medical Center after the helicopter she co-piloted was shot down—Duckworth urged Mr. Hegseth to follow this Creed as our servicemembers do every day, placing the mission above personal ambition.
“Every day, our servicemembers follow the Soldier’s Creed as we ask them to leave their families, walk into enemy fire and be ready for the mission until their very last breath,” said Duckworth. “How can we ask these warriors to train to the absolute highest standard, if we confirm a guy who is asking us to lower the standard to make him Secretary of Defense? The very idea that Pete Hegseth is the person to lead our heroes is an insult to the troops who sacrifice so much for the rest of us.”
"Yes or no, did you lead an audit? Yes, or no?," insisted Duckworth. "What are you afraid of, you can't answer this question? Yes or no did you lead an audit?" Attempting to divert the question, in the end, he could not give a yes or no answer.
Duckworth's question was to question Hegsetg's qualifications to lead the government's largest department. According to Hegseth's bio, he hasf never led an organization with more than about 100 people plus volunteers and does this qualify him to lead a department with three million members and a budget of $850 million.
"You're not qualified, Mr. Hegseth. You're not qualified," Duckworth said.
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