Some Republicans remain unsold on Hegseth

SIMI VALLEY, California—Pete Hegseth, the president-elect’s controversial choose for protection secretary, spent final week on Capitol Hill attempting to steer Republicans that he’s match for the job. However some lawmakers stay unconvinced. 

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a key Republican on the Senate Armed Providers Committee and former navy officer, stated Hegseth will undergo a “very thorough vetting course of” and famous her expertise with sexual assault when requested about what else she wants to listen to from Hegseth earlier than she helps him. 

“I’m a survivor of sexual assault, so I’ve labored very closely on sexual assault measures inside the navy. So I might like to listen to somewhat extra about that. I might like to listen to concerning the position of ladies in our nice United States navy,” Ernst instructed the viewers on the Reagan Nationwide Protection Discussion board right here. 

Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a lady in 2017; he later paid her as a part of a nondisclosure settlement. The Fox TV persona and former Military main has additionally publicly questioned whether or not ladies ought to serve in fight roles. 

Ernst stated she’ll sit down with Hegseth once more this week, and expects an FBI background verify to supply her with extra details about Donald Trump’s choose.

Different senators have expressed concern about studies of Hegseth’s ingesting on the job, however have since touted his promise to cease ingesting if appointed. His inexperience can be a priority: Hegseth has by no means made national-security coverage, served in a senior navy position, labored in protection acquisition, or led a company bigger than a nonprofit advocacy group. 

He’s an “anti-woke” crusader, and has drafted an inventory of Pentagon officers to fireplace if he takes the helm. This listing contains officers who’ve promoted variety, and people concerned within the Afghanistan withdrawal. 

One Republican on the Home Armed Providers Committee, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., pushed again on Hegseth’s plan, arguing that these navy officers have been following orders of their commander-in-chief. 

“The nominee for the secretary of protection has talked about desirous to go after the generals for being too DEI or going after those that he thought chargeable for Afghanistan, and I believe we needs to be cautious about that. Our generals are following the orders of the President of the US, the civilian commander and the Secretary of Protection, and it is not proper to punish a navy man for unhealthy selections,” Bacon instructed Protection One on the sidelines of Reagan.

A few of these generals beneficial towards “plenty of the stuff” President Biden ordered, however needed to observe lawful orders from their civilian leaders, Bacon stated. 

Politico lately summed up Hegseth’s stances this manner: “Primarily based on quite a few public statements and writings, it’s possible he’ll purpose to undermine the navy’s long-standing nonpartisan pluralism by scrubbing variety from the ranks, banning ladies in fight, urging the navy to decide on sides in a ‘civil conflict’ towards ‘home enemies’ on the left, and orienting the navy’s mission round his fixation on the Muslim world, which he feels represents an existential risk to Western civilization.”

Trump has continued to defend his choose, writing on Friday that help for Hegseth is “sturdy and deep, rather more so than the Faux Information would have you ever consider.”