Pete Hegseth found himself addressing challenging inquiries concerning his alleged drunken behavior at work and accusations of infidelity towards his second spouse during the high-pressure exchanges at his Senate confirmation hearing.
The nominee, a former Fox News figure endorsed by Donald Trump for a leading role at the Pentagon, made frequent mentions of his Christian beliefs at the start of his testimony on Tuesday. However, this did not deter his interrogators from delving into issues from his past when it came to their opportunity to question him.
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) confronted Hegseth regarding allegations stemming from a whistleblower, claiming he had been frequently inebriated while employed at a veterans’ charity and expressing concerns about his drinking habits to his former colleagues at the cable news network.
‘I have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work, including by people who worked with you at Fox News. Do you know that being drunk at work is prohibited for service members under the [Uniformed Code of Military Justice]?’ the senator asked him.
Pressed for a ‘yes or no,’ Hegseth said ‘those are multiple, false, anonymous reports peddled by NBC,’ before the senator cut him off.
He said they were ‘directly contradicted’ by people at Fox, continuing to answer while Hirono continued to press him.
She cited his opening statement and said he committed ‘to holding leaders accountable at all levels – that includes you, of course.
‘You recently promised some of my Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking and won’t drink if confirmed correct?’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced allegations of drunkness at work and cheating on his ex wife during his Senate confirmation hearing
‘Absolutely,’ answered Hegseth, who has admitted to excessive drinking and partying in the past but vowed Tuesday to represent DOD employees and troops in harm’s way.
‘Will you resign as secretary of Defense if you drink on the job, which is a 24/7 position,’ she said. ‘I’ve made this commitment …’ Hegseth tried to answer.
Hirono asked him again whether he would resign.
‘I’m not hearing an answer to my question, so I’m going to move on,’ said Hirono.
Trump allies blasted Hirono online, with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) saying she was ‘playing judge, jury, and executioner based on lies and stupidity.’
But the issue of alleged drinking helped tank the nomination of Sen. John Tower for the same DOD post during the George H.W. Bush administration.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) brought up Hegseth’s personal life. He was married to his second wife, Samantha, when she discovered Hegseth’s mistress had given birth to a daughter.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, brought up allegations Hegseth was intoxicated at work
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told Hegseth he ‘cheated’ on his second wife when he had a child with another woman during their marriage
Weeks later he faced sexual assault allegations, deciding to pay off his accuser despite denying the alleged conduct. Hegseth lawyer Timothy Parlatore said his client paid the woman for her silence because he did not want to lose his job, while dismissing the allegations as ‘baseless’ and tantamount to a ‘successful extortion’.
Kaine asked Hegseth how he could ‘so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child that had been born two months before, and you tell us you were completely cleared.’
‘So how is that a complete clear,’ he asked?
‘Senator, her child’s name is Gwendolyn Hope Hegseth, and she’s a child of God, and she’s seven years old.’
‘You cheated on the mother of that child less than two months after that daughter was born, didn’t you,’ Kaine pressed.
‘Those were false charges. It was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,’ Hegseth said, referencing the 2017 assault allegations.
No charges were filed. Sources said the FBI did not interview the woman accuser as part of Hegseth’s background check, ABC reported.
Hegseth said he was ‘not a perfect person,’ and it was Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, who brought up the religious tattoo he says caused him to be bumped from helping secure President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Kaine’s blasts came weeks after he declined to name names while raising general concerns about Trump nominees to DailyMail.com.
‘I see people that make me wonder,’ he said before the holidays. ‘I think I’m going to save that for next year,’ he said.
