Senators are set to grill President-elect Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth Tuesday in a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, where Hegseth is likely to face intense scrutiny from Democratic senators about allegations of sexual misconduct and concerning drinking habits—which he has denied.

Hegseth, 44, is a military veteran and Fox News host. He served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, including stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, after graduating from Princeton University in 2003. He has a master’s degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Hegseth also served as executive director of the nonprofits Concerned Veterans for America and Vets for Freedom. He was a political commentator on Fox News before he was hired to co-host “Fox & Friends” in 2017. He’s drawn criticism due to an alleged 2017 sexual assault, accusations about his drinking habits and a litany of controversial views about the military—including opposition to women serving in combat roles.

A woman said Hegseth sexually assaulted her in his hotel room after they met at an after party at the California Federation of Republican Women conference in 2017, according to a police report first released in November by Monterey, Calif., police. The woman, identified as “Jane Doe” in the report, told police she “remembered saying ‘no’ a lot” when she was with Hegseth in his room and that Hegseth “took her phone from her hands” then “blocked the door with his body” when she tried to leave, according to the report. She reported the allegation to police several days later, but charges were never filed. The allegation—which Hegseth has strongly denied—first came to light shortly after Trump picked him for defense secretary.

Hegseth was forced to step down as president of Concerned Veterans for America in 2016 after numerous allegations from staff of his partying habits while on official work trips, The New Yorker reported. In one instance, Hegseth allegedly brought staff to a Louisiana strip club and had to be restrained from joining the dancers on stage, according to a seven-page whistleblower report obtained by the publication. On another trip in May 2015, Hegseth drunkenly yelled “Kill All Muslims” while he was out partying late at a hotel bar, The New Yorker reported, citing a letter from a fellow staffer to a superior at the organization. Hegseth has denied he was forced out of the organization, citing a letter from a trustee written to Fox News in 2016 stating Hegseth “voluntarily resigned” after “a difference of opinion as to the future of the organization and so that he could focus on other endeavors.” Hegseth retweeted the letter, writing, “read for yourself. You’ll see the truth is on our side.” NBC News also reported Hegseth’s alleged drinking habits raised concerns among Fox News employees on more than a dozen occasions between 2017 and November, when he resigned after Trump nominated him. Two unnamed employees said they smelled alcohol on him on more than a dozen occasions before he went on air while hosting “Fox & Friends Weekend.” Fox did not formally respond to the allegations, but some of its anchors defended Hegseth, including “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade, who argued in December, “he knows his stuff, he’s got the vision, he fought in the wars.”

Hegseth told police he had consensual sex with the woman who accused him of sexual assault, according to the police report. His lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, claimed to The Washington Post witnesses said Hegseth was “visibly intoxicated” at the time and she was “the aggressor in initiating sexual activity.” Parlatore said Hegseth paid the woman a settlement in 2020 as part of a nondisclosure agreement after learning the woman told other people she was considering filing a lawsuit over the matter. Hegseth has denied that he has a drinking problem in a December interview with Megyn Kelly, but acknowledged there were “tiny kernels of truth” to some of the allegations against him. Hegseth also told senators he would stop drinking if he is confirmed for the role, Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told ABC News.

Hegseth has said on numerous occasions he believes only men should serve in combat roles, including in his 2024 book, “The War on Warriors,” and in an appearance on a podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan in November. “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective,” Hegseth told Ryan. Hegseth sought to “clarify” his comments in a Fox News interview in December in which he called women in the military “some of our greatest warriors.” Defending his previous comments, Hegseth said, “everything about women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat means casualties are worse,” citing research he said shows combat effectiveness is “drastically worse” in male-female units.

Hegseth called NATO a “relic” that “should be scrapped and remade” in one of his books, sharing Trump’s longstanding skepticism of the military alliance, as the president-elect argues other members of the trans-Atlantic alliance should spend more on defense. Hegseth also questioned why “Islamist Turkey” is a member of NATO, The Guardian notes.

Hegseth has criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, questioning in his 2024 book "The War on Warriors” whether Joint Chiefs Chairman Charles Brown, who is Black, was hired “because of his skin color? Or his skill?” and alleging, “he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards.” Hegseth wrote, “the next president . . . needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership” and told Ryan, “any general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI/woke sh—t has got to go.” During Trump’s first term, he successfully advocated for Trump to pardon three service members accused or convicted of war crimes, arguing on Fox News military prosecutors were “throwing warriors under the bus.” Hegseth has spoken out against what he claims are overly restrictive combat rules, writing in his book, “in some cases, our units were so boxed in by rules and regulations and political correctness, we even second-guess ourselves.” Hegseth described himself to Ryan as a “recovering neocon,” explaining he supported the Iraq War at the time, but “in retrospect, absolutely not.”

Trump in December said Hegseth was “doing very well” in the nomination process and has “strong and deep support,” calling him a “WINNER” and writing, “there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”

No. Some have voiced reservations, but have appeared to warm to Hegseth after meeting with him last month. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Ga., initially called the allegations against Hegseth “very disturbing,” but said Hegseth “is in pretty good shape” after their meeting. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa—widely seen as a key vote due to her advocacy against military sexual misconduct—emphasized the importance of making “sure that any allegations have been cleared” against Hegseth before the Senate confirms him, but said after meeting with him they had an “encouraging” conversation and she would “support” him through the confirmation process.

Multiple Democratic senators have expressed concerns about Hegseth, including a group led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who wrote a letter to Trump’s incoming chief of staff last month stating that Hegseth’s “attitudes toward women, including allegations of sexual assault and harassment, disqualify him to be the next Secretary of Defense. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also sent a letter to Wicker, chair of the Armed Services Committee, last month arguing for a “full review” of Hegseth’s conduct while he led the veterans’ nonprofits, calling the roles “the only civilian management experience of his career.”

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