WASHINGTON – Pete Hegseth, former Fox News host and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to address Republican senators’ concerns about his nomination.
Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and alcohol abuse, which he has denied.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, emphasized the need for a thorough vetting process.
“I think it’s important to give him a fair process, but we also need to have a process where we can get all the facts out before we make our decision,” Cornyn said.
Hegseth is also under fire for comments he made last month opposing women in combat roles.
“We should not have women in combat roles,” Hegseth said, claiming it has made fighting “more complicated” without improving effectiveness. He later clarified on Fox News, saying, “Some of our greatest warriors, best warriors out there are women.”
Among his critics is Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a combat veteran and survivor of sexual assault. Ernst has met with Hegseth twice but has yet to publicly back his nomination.
Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, also met with members of Congress.
Gabbard faced questions about her past defense of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including a 2017 statement that Assad “is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States.”
The scrutiny of Hegseth and Gabbard underscores the challenges President-elect Trump faces in securing confirmations for his Cabinet picks amid controversy and partisan divides.