Senate Democrat Dresses Down Hegseth in Blistering Opening Statement: ‘You Lack the Character, Composure, and Confidence’ to Serve

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, tore into Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth in his opening statement at Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Since he was selected to lead the Pentagon by President-elect Donald Trump, Hegseth’s nomination has been bedeviled by a slew of accusations, including of alcohol abuse and sexual assault. Republicans — under pressure from Trump and his allies — have nevertheless coalesced around him in recent days.

On Tuesday, Reed made his best effort at weakening Hegseth’s chances of being confirmed in a brutal opening statement that saw him declare that “the totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any servicemember from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.”

Here are Reed’s remarks in full:

Mr. Hegseth, I welcome you and your family to today’s hearing. And I’m also glad to recognize my former colleague Norm Coleman and Congressman Mike Waltz. Thank you, Congressman.

Mr. Hegseth, I want to begin by saying that I respect and appreciate your military service in the Army National Guard. I know from experience that there is no greater privilege than to lead American soldiers, and I thank you for answering the call.

You have been nominated to be the secretary of defense. The secretary is responsible for leading a department of 3.5 million service members and civilians, an annual budget of nearly $900 billion and hundreds of thousands of aircraft, ships, submarines, combat vehicles, satellites, and the nuclear arsenal. The secretary also plays a powerful role with our allies, partners, and adversaries abroad. And as we speak, China is seeking to undermine our interests, intimidate our friends, and challenge our standing in the world. Russia’s campaign against Ukraine threatens not only Europe, but the entire global order. Ongoing violence in the Middle East has teetered on the edge of all out war, and the ideologies and actions of violent extremists endanger our citizens even on our own soil.

As the recent tragedy in New Orleans painfully reminds us, these are perilous times. And the position of Secretary of Defense demands a leader of unparalleled experience, wisdom, and above all else, character. The secretary is expected to be a fair, nonpartisan and responsible leader, as well as a trustworthy advocate for the men and women that he leads.

Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job. 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. I have reviewed many of these allegations, and find them extremely alarming.

Indeed, the totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any servicemember from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.

Nonetheless, I understand that you reject many of these reports as they involve whistleblowers, nondisclosure agreements, and anonymous — although numerous — sources; including those who have faced political intimidation for sharing their experiences. I hope you will address each of these allegations thoroughly and truthfully during your testimony. Just as importantly, I hope you will pledge to prevent any repercussions for whistleblowers, both civilian and military, if confirmed.

Mr. Hegseth, during our meeting last week, you said that if confirmed, your top priority would be, quote, “restoring a warrior culture to the Department of Defense” because you believe the U.S. military has been weakened by political correctness. Over the years, you have made clear your opinion of the military’s diversity initiatives. As you said, quote, “Diversity is not our strength, unity is.” And on a recent podcast, you said, quote, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.”

When I joined the Army as a young officer the 1970s, the U.S. military was rife with racial tension. Women were prohibited from serving in most roles. Gay service members were banned, and we relied on a national draft to fill our ranks. The soldiers I served with were proud to do so, but it was certainly not the nation’s most capable military. By any standard, we have made great progress since then. Today, the Department of Defense is fully integrated. Every race and religion is accepted. Women serve in all combat roles and leadership positions. Sexual orientation is irrelevant to service, and the all volunteer force visibly reflects the nation it protects. Our military is more diverse than it has ever been. But more importantly, it is more lethal than it has ever been. This is not a coincidence. Mr. Hegseth, I hope you will explain why you believe such diversity is making the military weak and how you propose to undo that without undermining military leadership, and harming readiness, recruitment and retention.

Mr. Hegseth, another reason I’m deeply concerned about your nomination is your disregard for the law of armed conflict and your support for service members who have been convicted of war crimes. You have championed the pardoning of military members who were turned in by their fellow soldiers and SEALs. And let me emphasize that, they weren’t discovered by reporters. They were turned in by fellow soldiers and fellow SEALs. And also pardoning of military contractors convicted of killing 14 Iraqi citizens without cause. You have also advocated for the restitution of interrogation methods like waterboarding that have been defined as torture, and you have belittled the advice and counsel of judge advocates general while on deployment. In your book, The War on Warriors, you write, quote, “Should we follow the Geneva Convention? If our warriors are forced to follow rules arbitrarily and asked to sacrifice more lives so that international tribunals feel better about themselves, aren’t we just better off in winning our wars according to our own rules?” Mr. Hegseth, I would ask that you explain how you, if confirmed, would maintain good order and discipline within our forces and the support of our allies and partners by rejecting international law and the law of war.

I’m also concerned about your abilities as a competent manager of organizations far less complex than the Department of Defense. From 2008 to 2010, you led the organization Veterans for Freedom, which had an annual budget of less than $10 million. In each year you were in charge, expenses far exceeded revenues until the organization teetered on bankruptcy and had to be merged with another group. In fact, according to public reporting, an independent forensic accountant reviewed the organization’s finances and discovered evidence of gross financial mismanagement. I would note that this report has not been made available to any government agencies, which is, I think, alarming. But a Republican advisor to you during your tenure at the organization who read the report stated, and I quote, “I watched him run an organization very poorly, lose the confidence of donors, the organization ultimately folded and was forced to merge with another organization who individuals felt would run and manage funds on behalf of donors more responsibly than he could. I don’t know how he’s going to run an organization with an $857 billion budget and 3 million individuals.” And that is the only comment we’ve had and the only access we’ve had to the forensic report.

A similar thing happened with the Concerned Veterans for America, a second veterans group that you led from 2011 until 2016. During those five years, tax records show that the organization spent more than it raised. Just as troubling are reports that a significant amount of debt was incurred from social events and parties filled with excessive drinking and questionable personal behavior. Mr. Hegseth, I hope you will explain what actions you will take if confirmed to be a better steward of Defense Department’s large budget.

Finally, while I appreciate our meeting last week, it is unacceptable that you did not meet with any other Democratic members of this committee before this hearing as has been our bipartisan tradition. During my time in the Senate, I have voted for and worked closely with secretaries of defense appointed by Republican presidents. While we may disagree politically, there was always an understanding that rank partisanship should have no place when it comes to providing for the men and women who serve in uniform.

And Mr. Hegseth, I am troubled by the many comments you have made, both as a commentator and in your published writings. For example, in your book American Crusade, you wrote, quote, “Modern leftists, who represent the soul of the modern Democratic Party, literally hate the foundational ideas of America.” You also wrote, “The other side, the left, is not our friend. We are not esteemed colleagues, nor mere political opponents. We are foes. Either we win or they win. We agree on nothing else.”

Mr. Hegseth, if confirmed as secretary of defense, you would lead an organization that, like the country it represents, is composed of Democrats and Republicans. Yet your language suggests that you regard many of these men and women as foes. And I would ask you to explain why service members and civilians who do not share your political opinions can trust that they will not be targeted during your tenure.

Indeed, the challenge of the secretary of defense is to remove partisan politics from the military. You propose to inject it. This would be an insult to the men and women who have sworn to uphold their own apolitical duty to the Constitution.

Mr. Hegseth, you are the ninth nominee for secretary of defense that I have had the record consider as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I have voted in favor of all your predecessors, including those in the first Trump administration. Unfortunately, you lack the character and composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of defense. Thank you.

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