Tag Archives: Pete Hegseth

Punchbowl News reports: Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) — the chair and ranking member, respectively — are the only committee members who have viewed Hegseth’s FBI file, which was delivered to the panel late last week. Republicans on SASC who have been briefed say that the report is unremarkable. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) told reporters on Friday …

NBC News reports: An FBI background check for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, was transmitted late Friday to the leading members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the report, just days ahead of his Tuesday confirmation hearing. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the panel’s chairman, and …

The Hill reports: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a decorated combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense is dangerously unqualified and has less management experience than someone running an Applebee’s restaurant. “The manager of the average Applebee’s has probably managed more people than Pete Hegseth,” Duckworth said during …

Breitbart reports: An anti-woke super PAC is launching a seven-figure ad blitz in five states to support President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Defense Pete Hegseth, Breitbart News has learned. American Leadership PAC’s $1 million buy will reach constituents in Alaska, North Carolina, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Utah via text, television, and radio, urging them to …

CBS News reports: Senate Majority Leader John Thune has privately told President-elect Donald Trump that he believes Pete Hegseth will have the votes to be confirmed as Secretary of Defense, according to three sources. When asked for comment, a spokesman for Thune would only tell CBS News, “Two things we don’t discuss publicly: Whip counts and private conversations with the …

The Meidas Touch reports: In a 2007 interview on C-SPAN, Pete Hegseth, the former Army National Guard officer and Fox News host nominated to become Trump’s Secretary of Defense, offered a defense of the United States’ actions at Abu Ghraib prison while dismissing the incident as an “absolute exception” to military conduct during the Iraq War. Hegseth not only characterized …

Politico reports: At least a dozen senators are pushing to see the FBI’s background check on Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled pick for Pentagon chief — a rare move for the committee that oversees his confirmation and a sign the former Fox News host still faces hurdles in the Senate. Unlike some other committees, the Senate Armed Services usually limits …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, justified the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and spread baseless conspiracy theories claiming the initial break-in was a false flag operation carried out by leftist groups disguised as Trump supporters. Four days after the Capitol riot, Hegseth appeared on a podcast hosted by former House Speaker Newt …

The New York Times reports: When Pete Hegseth visited senators on Capitol Hill this month in an effort to show that he has the qualifications and judgment to lead the Defense Department, he was escorted by a security guard with a dark episode in his past. The guard, a former Army Special Forces master sergeant named John Jacob Hasenbein, left …

Politico reports: Pete Hegseth has pushed for years to steep American education in patriotic principles and Christian theology — and he could implement that vision for thousands of military families if he’s confirmed to lead the Defense Department. Tucked inside the Pentagon’s nearly $900 billion-per-year bureaucracy is a network of 161 schools in 11 countries, seven states, Guam and Puerto …

“I’m in a good place with Pete, unless something I don’t know about comes out. These allegations are disturbing, but they’re anonymous. I asked him point blank, ‘Were you drunk in a bar and got up and, said, ‘Let’s kill all the Muslims’? He said, ‘No.’ “But about mismanagement of money, about, you know, having a drinking problem and saying …

Mediaite reports: A new survey from the Associated Press and National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago suggests that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, has almost no popular support. According to the poll, only 17% of those surveyed said that they approved of Hegseth’s nomination. In general, just 27% of the …

Politico reports: Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled pick for Defense secretary, is shifting his stance on LGBTQ+ service members. The former Fox Host has previously labeled policies allowing gay and transgender troops a “Marxist agenda.” But when asked by reporters on Thursday during a meeting with Sen. Rand PaulRand Paul (R-Ky.) whether he supports gays serving in the military, he …

CNN reports: Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has repeatedly criticized policies allowing gay people to serve openly in the US military, calling them part of a “Marxist” agenda to prioritize social justice over combat readiness. In his 2024 book “The War on Warriors” and in subsequent media promotions this year, Hegseth described both the original …

Mediaite reports: Jesse Eisinger, a senior editor and reporter at ProPublica, hit back at President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon on Wednesday after Pete Hegseth attacked the news organization for inquiring about his acceptance to West Point. Hegseth, a former Fox News morning show host and pro-MAGA culture warrior, wrote on X, “We understand that ProPublica (the Left …

Mediaite reports: Newsmax instructed staff to lay off Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host Donald Trump nominated to serve as his secretary of defense, after a segment bashing the pick sparked the ire of Trump himself. Greg Kelly, who helms the 9 p.m. hour on Newsmax, tore into Hegseth last week, calling him “blackmailable” because of his “baggage” and arguing …

“What you’re seeing is a military right now that is more interested in social engineering led by this president than they are in war fighting. So, as a result, through Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and women in the military and these standards, they’re going to inevitably start to erode standards because they want that one female special operator, that one …

From last month’s report by Right Wing Watch: When Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense, concerns were raised immediately about Hegseth’s undisguised Christian nationalism. Hegseth, who has admitted that his multiple crusader tattoos got him “deemed an extremist” by his own National Guard unit, has deep ties to …

Politico reports: In recent days, allies of Trump adopted an approach that is not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extremely uncomfortable for anyone who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA attacks that Sen. Joni Ernst has experienced is a warning of what’s in store for others who express skepticism of his personnel choices. Days …

“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent …