Hegseth Pushes Back on Sexism Charges in Heated Confirmation Hearing, Insists He’ll Apply Gender-Neutral Standards

Washington, D.C. — Secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth faced questions about his position on women serving in the military from several members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a hearing that marks the first step in his contentious confirmation process.

A number of Senate Democrats went after Hegseth over past public comments criticizing the Pentagon leadership’s emphasis on promoting women to a degree that hurts military readiness and lethality. Based on his experience serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and countless conversations with fellow veterans, Hegseth believes that the military brass has relaxed standards of physical fitness to accommodate female recruits. If confirmed as secretary of defense, Hegseth vowed to reinvigorate standards and hold all personnel to the same requirements, regardless of gender.

Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa), who early on, as an Army Reserve veteran and sexual assault survivor herself, expressed reservations about Hegseth, pressed the nominee on whether he supports women in combat roles. The nominee said he does, as long as standards remain high and vowed to review standards in a “gender-neutral” way. He similarly told Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) that he served with “great” women in combat and that he’d look to maintain high standards rather than meeting diversity quotas.

Hegseth also later spoke on “wokeness” in the military and its negative impact on recruitment, saying the narrative that the military is filled with extremists and racists is false and that the military hasn’t tolerated racism in a long time.

Ernst, meanwhile, noted that addressing sexual assault in the military is a personal priority of hers and asked Hegseth how he plans to address the issue. He said he would appoint a senior level official to focus on rooting out sexual assault in the ranks.

Senator Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) hit Hegseth with a series of rapid-fire questions on a variety of topics, asking, among other things, if he will commit to not drinking on the job, which she notes is a 24/7 position. She noted media reports that his former Fox News colleagues have said he would drink on the job. Hegseth denied those reports but dodged on whether he’d resign if he drinks while serving as defense secretary, if confirmed.

At one point, Hirono asked Hegseth whether he would follow an order from President Trump to shoot protesters in the legs, referencing media reports about an exchange Trump had with military leaders during the George Floyd riots of 2020. When Hegseth did not immediately answer the question, Hirono stated: “You will shoot protesters in the leg.”

During the exchange, Hegseth also affirmed that he is pro-life and said he doesn’t believe the federal government should be funding travel for abortion.

Democrats and some Republicans have expressed doubts about the 44-year-old’s ability to serve as secretary of defense, which would have him overseeing more than 3 million military and civilian personnel around the world and an $800 billion annual budget.

Hegseth has been plagued by accusations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and sexism. He has admitted to paying an undisclosed amount to a woman who accused him of sexual assault at a Republican conference in Monterey, Calif., allegations that Hegseth denies.

Inside a packed Senate hearing room filled to the brim with spectators, Hegseth pushed back vigorously against critics worried about his lack of credentials and past allegations of personal misconduct and defended his positions on women serving in the military.

He accused the media of orchestrating a “coordinated smear campaign” against him as he spoke before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, marking the first step in his contentious confirmation process.

Given a chance to respond to the allegations, the former Fox News host torched the media, saying reporters relied on a “small handful of anonymous sources” to write negative stories about him.

“All they were out to do was destroy me,” Hegseth said, arguing that the left-wing media doesn’t care about the truth.

Ranking Member Jack Reed (D., RI) said he does not believe Hegseth is qualified to run the Pentagon and cited the “alarming” public allegations against Hegseth. Reed said Hegseth’s conduct would disqualify him from being a service member, much less the head of the DOD. Reed voiced concerns about Hegseth’s opposition to diversity in the military and disdain for international law. Reed considers Hegseth to be an overly partisan choice for the job and argued that he will inject politics into the service. 

Hegseth emphasized the broken military establishment and the need to restore the “warrior ethos” if he is confirmed. To begin his hearing, he celebrated his current wife for changing his life and gave glory to Jesus Christ. He devoted his testimony to the veterans watching and those in the room supporting him, before going through his list of priorities for the Pentagon.

Portraying himself as a “change agent,” Hegseth pledged to prioritize the rank and file first and foremost, citing his military experience. 

Hegseth served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan but has limited management experience. He was, however, described as an “incredibly talented, battle-proven leader” during his service, according to a copy of military evaluations obtained by Fox News.

“It is true that I don’t have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years,” Hegseth said in his opening statement. “But, as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’ — whether they are retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?”

“He believes, and I humbly agree,” Hegseth continued, “that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent. Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives.”

The Pentagon has also failed seven straight audits as its bureaucracy continues to expand. Critics of the Pentagon have pointed to the department’s embrace of progressive ideology as a sign that reform is desperately needed.

Hegseth has received support from a number of Republicans after holding meetings with many lawmakers on the Hill in recent weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) said he is “hopeful” about Hegseth’s chances of confirmation, while Senator John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) called him “very qualified” for the job on Sunday. 

Hegseth will need approval from the Senate Armed Services Committee before he can advance to a vote from the full Senate on his nomination.