Weekly Beat: January 14, 2025
- Judy Stahl
- Jan 14
- 3 min read
Main Story: The Hegseth Confirmation Hearing
This morning, the Trump cabinet confirmation hearings began in full swing as Defense Secretary Nominee, Peter Hegseth, submitted to questioning before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Hegseth, whose past is mired with allegations of impropriety and criminal behavior, has drawn significant scrutiny since his nomination, including from Republican Senators Joni Ernst, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski. The most egregious allegations include:
He entered into a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount with a woman who claimed she was raped by Hegseth in 2017. One of the conditions of the settlement was that the woman in question signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Before joining Fox News, Hegseth was terminated as Executive Director of two different veterans organizations for financial mismanagement.
In multiple instances, Hegseth was reported to be noticeably intoxicated while operating in a professional capacity, to the point that his staff members had to remove him from events and even carry him while unconscious to his hotel or home.
Given the severity of the allegations against Hegseth, it’s not surprising that Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services committee were dismayed when key witnesses were excluded from Hegseth’s background check. Any one of these allegations, if proven true, would be disqualifying for basic security clearance, let alone the leader of the world’s largest, most expensive, and most lethal military.
To be clear, Hegseth denies these allegations and dismissed them as a targeted smear campaign repeatedly during the hearing. However, the majority of these allegations were brought forward several years ago, well before Hegseth was nominated. Why would anyone target Hegseth with a smear campaign, if there was no indication that he would hold any government position, let alone one of the most important in the executive cabinet?
If his scandal-ridden past isn’t enough of a disqualifier, Hegseth also failed to answer basic operational questions about the position itself. One notable moment this morning was when Sen. Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran herself, asked Hegseth if he had ever led financial audits of an organization as large as the DOD. Then she asked if Hegseth had ever been involved with international negotiations. Finally, she asked if he can even name one of the three major negotiations the Secretary of Defense is responsible for overseeing.
Each time, he avoided the question.
Our Take
Our Constitution requires cabinet nominees to be confirmed only after a thorough vetting of the candidate by the Senate, a committee vote, and a final vote in the Senate At-Large. It became clear today that Hegseth has not been vetted to the fullest extent that he should be. Moreover, the American People have a right to hear what insight the witnesses not included in the FBI’s background check could provide on Hegseth’s fitness in character. As it stands, today’s proceedings have shown Hegseth is woefully unprepared to lead our armed forces, and the Department of Defense of three million employees. Moreover, his past suggests that he is a potential security risk and prone to conduct unbecoming of a member of the U.S. military. We at Voice For Values strongly oppose his confirmation as Secretary of Defense.
Take Action: Call Your Senators And Demand They Vote "No" on Hegseth
The Armed Services Committee is scheduled to vote on Hegseth’s confirmation on January 20th. Hegseth needs just a simple majority in committee before he moves on to the Senate. If you agree that Hegseth is unfit then we strongly urge you to do the following.
Contact the Armed Services Committee: Ask for the Hegseth confirmation vote to be postponed until the FBI completes its interviews with key witnesses previously excluded from Hegseth’s background check. The American people deserve to know any information that can prove the veracity of the allegations against Hegseth.
The committee can be reached at (202) 224-3871
Contact your Senators: Ask them to vote no on Hegseth’s confirmation if the vote goes to the Full Senate. State that you oppose his nomination on the basis that he lacks the required qualifications and temperament to lead the United States Department of Defense.
Comments