US President-elect Donald Trump’s contentious nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was grilled Tuesday by lawmakers about past controversies he has been embroiled in, while expressing support for Israel killing all remaining members of Palestinian terror group Hamas in the war in Gaza.
Speaking at his confirmation hearing before the US Senate’s Armed Services Committee, Hegseth said: “I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas.”
Notably, Israel’s current war aims do not extend to killing every last member of Hamas, and Israeli officials have told The Times of Israel that even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged as much. Doing so would have Israel bogged down in Gaza indefinitely, given that the terror group is constantly recruiting new fighters.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Hamas has recruited as many fighters as it has lost during the war.
“I’m a Christian and I robustly support the State of Israel and its existential defense,” Hegseth told the Congressional committee.
Like members of many previous administrations, Hegseth said his top priority would be shifting the US military priorities away from the Middle East and toward China.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and lacking experience leading large organizations, was grilled by Democratic members of the committee over his opposition to efforts to promote diversity in the military and to women serving in combat, but he was largely defended by Republicans.
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand slammed Hegseth’s past comments as “so hurtful to the men and women who are currently serving in the US military, harmful to morale, harmful to good order and discipline.”
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, stuck to his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying they are “dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells, not putting meritocracy first.”
But he sought to soften past remarks on women serving in combat — something he stated as recently as November 2024 that he opposed.
“I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform past and present. My critiques… recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I’ve seen standards lowered,” Hegseth told lawmakers.
“Women will have access to ground combat roles… given the standards remain high,” the 44-year-old said.
US Senate Republicans are keen for Trump’s national security nominees to be confirmed quickly and Democrats may agree to fast-track some. But they are determined to throw up roadblocks in front of candidates they see as unfit.
Hegseth has also come under fire for concerns about his past personal conduct, as well as his ability to lead the Pentagon — a massive bureaucracy that employs more than three million people.
Senator Jack Reed, the committee’s ranking Democrat, put it bluntly: “Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.”
“We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you. A variety of sources — including your own writings — implicate you with disregarding the laws of war, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist remarks about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other troubling issues,” Reed said.
Asked by Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the committee chair, about allegations Hegseth has faced, the nominee claimed there was a “coordinated smear campaign” against him.
“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real,” Hegseth said, later asserting he was “falsely accused” of sexual assault.
He can only afford three Republican rejections and still be confirmed, should every Democrat and independent vote against him.
But he has maintained Trump’s support while the excoriating headlines have multiplied, and Senate Republicans appear open to hearing him out.
Former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Trumpist Tulsi Gabbard, who was tapped for director of national intelligence, is another candidate whose lack of qualifications and experience have raised alarm bells, as have her attitudes toward US adversaries.
Gabbard met Syria’s then-president Bashar al-Assad in 2017, and declared him “not the enemy.” She has also voiced sympathy for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some pressure on the nominees is expected from both sides of the aisle, especially for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, and an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist.
But US senator and foreign policy hawk Marco Rubio of Florida, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, is a sure bet with bipartisan support, and will likely be confirmed before Trump takes office on January 20.
Rubio gets his hearing Wednesday, along with homeland security secretary nominee Kristi Noem, attorney general nominee Pam Bondi, and CIA pick John Ratcliffe, who has been confirmed by the Senate before, as director of national intelligence.
Some of the most potentially fiery hearings are yet to be scheduled, including for Kennedy and Kash Patel, a conspiracy theorist who is Trump’s nominee to run the FBI.