Live Updates: Pete Hegseth’s Defense Secretary confirmation hearing

Live Updates: Pete Hegseth’s Defense Secretary confirmation hearing

Pete Hegseth walks with his wife Jennifer Rauchet after a meeting in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 17, 2024.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Pentagon, will face a Senate panel for his confirmation hearing on Tuesday as he is expected to be questioned about allegations ranging from sexual assault to excessive drinking in the workplace.

Hegseth has denied all allegations and has made multiple trips to Capitol Hill to shore up support since he was announced as Trump’s nominee in November, including meeting with senators just last week.

Here are some quick facts about Hegseth. For complete instructions, see this story.

Who is Hegseth?: He is a decorated combat veteran who was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan. He received two Bronze Star medals for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan. He went on to lead two veterans-advocating nonprofits, Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America, and joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014, eventually becoming co-host of the weekend show “Fox & Friends.”

What are the allegations against him?: Hegseth was accused of sexual assault by a woman in October 2017 after speaking at a Republican women’s group conference in Monterey, California. According to a police report obtained by CNN, the woman told police that Hegseth physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone and then sexually assaulted her, even though she “remembered saying ‘no’ often.” Hegseth told police that their encounter was consensual and that he repeatedly made sure the woman was “agreeable with what was going on between the two of them.”

Hegseth has not been charged with a crime in connection with the allegation.

Concerns about behavior in the workplaces: Hegseth was also accused of mismanaging funds at Vets for Freedom, including inappropriate expenses such as parties that a former employee of the group described as “meetings,” according to The New Yorker. In response to the New Yorker’s reporting, a Hegseth adviser said in a statement to CNN: “We will not comment on outlandish allegations made about the New Yorker by a petty and jealous, disgruntled former employee of Mr. Hegseth.”

History of controversial comments: Hegseth has repeatedly criticized the policies of the very department he could soon lead. He criticized efforts to allow women into combat roles and accused the military of lowering standards to allow women into those jobs. Hegseth said in a podcast last year that he was specifically concerned with women in “physical, labor-intensive jobs” such as those in the Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Marine Forces Special Operations and jobs such as infantry, armored and artillery units.

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