Jan. 14 (UPI) — The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday reviewing President-elect Donald Trump‘s defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. Hegseth is expected to face a contentious confirmation process due to allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and mismanaging the finances of a veterans nonprofit organization. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and former Fox News contributor.
Hegseth first denied the allegations of sexual misconduct. He said he has faced a “smear campaign” from the “left-wing media” because of his association with President-elect Donald Trump and because he is a “change agent.”
“What became very evident to us from the beginning was there was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us,” he said. “It wasn’t about me. Most of it was about President Donald Trump.”
During Hegseth’s opening comments he was interrupted by demonstrators three times. They were escorted out by Capitol police.
U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., called the hearing into order on Capitol Hill at 9:30 a.m. EST. He acknowledged signals of approval from the audience as Hegseth entered and in his opening speech remarked that Hegseth may be an “excellent choice.”
Admittedly this nomination is unconventional. The nominee is unconventional,” Wicker said. “Just like that New York developer who rode down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president. That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice.”
Ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., is more skeptical about Hegseth’s nomination.
“Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job,” Reed said. “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.”
Wicker outlined some of the issues the next defense secretary will face. Among them, he noted that the Pentagon has not passed an audit in several years.
“Today’s Department of Defense is no longer prepared for great power competition,” Wicker said. “It is not a national defense institution ready to achieve and sustain technological supremacy across the range of operations.”