It was largely a smear campaign and I don't see him getting the votes needed.
Takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s contentious confirmation hearingPete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, acknowledged Tuesday he is “not a perfect person” but was defiant in the face of multiple allegations surrounding his past conduct during a contentious confirmation hearing.
Hegseth dismissed the allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 as false and part of a “coordinated smear campaign,” claiming that the attacks against him were an attempt to use him to also smear the president-elect.
Democrats pressed Hegseth on allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking. In one particularly contentious exchange, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia pressed Hegseth on his infidelity stemming from the 2017 incident in a Monterey, California, hotel room, which prompted a sexual assault investigation by local police that did not result in any charges.
Democratic senators also confronted Hegseth with his prior comments suggesting that women should not serve in combat roles, raising quotes from his book published last year.
Hegseth responded that women make “amazing contributions” to the military, arguing that his comments questioning women serving in combat were tied to the military’s standards and readiness.
Hegseth’s confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee is the first of a flurry of hearings for Trump’s Cabinet selections this week ahead of the president-elect’s inauguration on January 20. Hegseth’s hearing set a defiant tone for Trump’s nominees ahead of the multiple controversial hearings ahead for the Senate in the coming weeks.
Ultimately, Hegseth’s nomination to become the next secretary of defense will depend on how Republicans view his confirmation. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning he does not need any Democratic support to win confirmation so long as he doesn’t lose more than three Republicans.
Here are takeaways from Tuesday’s confirmation hearing:
Democrats press Hegseth on 2017 sexual assault allegation
Tuesday’s hearing was the first time for Democrats on the committee – Hegseth did not meet with any Democrats beyond ranking member Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island – to press Hegseth on the allegations of sexual assault, workplace drinking and financial mismanagement.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat, pressed Hegseth on the 2017 sexual assault investigation, asking if he’d ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature.
“I was falsely accused in October of 2017, it was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth said.
“I don’t think ‘completely cleared’ is accurate,” Hirono responded, noting his lawyer has said he entered into a non-disclosure agreement with his accuser as part of a settlement.
Kaine grilled Hegseth further, questioning the nominee’s judgement and pushing Hegseth to acknowledge his infidelity from the 2017 Monterey incident that he’s described as a consensual sexual encounter.
“Senator, I was falsely charged, fully investigated and completely cleared,” Hegseth responded..................
https://www.yahoo.com/news/takeaways-pete-hegseth-contentious-confirmation-185445776.html
