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President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, will appear for his confirmation hearing Tuesday morning, becoming the first of Trump’s nominees to go under the grilling process.
Hegseth, 44, a former Army National Guard officer, served at Guantánamo Bay and in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his military service, including two Bronze Star Medals and two Army Commendation Medals. He is also a graduate of both Princeton and Harvard universities, and worked at Fox News for the past 10 years.
Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to start at 9:30 am ET Tuesday.
Just prior to the hearing, an estimated 500 Navy SEALs, veterans, and other supporters are planning to march in support of Hegseth. The group is planning to meet at the Vietnam Memorial Wall at 9 a.m., then march to multiple war memorials, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the D.C. War Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. The march will finish near Capitol Hill with remarks from military leaders and prominent supporters.
Democrats have loudly protested Hegseth’s nomination, claiming he is too young and is inexperienced for such a critical role. They have also hit Hegseth with allegations of financial mismanagement, excessive drinking, a far-fetched sexual assault claim, and even his belief that the 2020 election was not fair.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) fired off a 33-page letter to Hegseth last week, demanding he respond to over 100 questions prior to the confirmation hearing, and even complained about a Christian tattoo Hegseth has.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said in a Fox News interview on Monday, “The FBI investigation is back [on Hegseth] … there’s NOTHING THERE that would bring up any allegation that would keep him from taking this job and doing a great job with it.”
Senator @TTuberville ahead of @PeteHegseth‘s confirmation hearing: “The FBI investigation is back … there’s NOTHING THERE that would bring up any allegation that would keep him from taking this job and doing a great job with it.” pic.twitter.com/5HsXlcBJL3
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 13, 2025
“I was in that press conference today with a lot of people that had served with Pete… He did things that a lot of these woke generals that have been in the Pentagon would just dream about. Pete has actually done it,” Tuberville also said.
Senator @TTuberville: I was in that press conference today with a lot of people that had served with Pete… He did things that a lot of these woke generals that have been in the Pentagon would just dream about. Pete has actually done it. pic.twitter.com/9pmSgzKBdq
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 13, 2025
WATCH LIVE COVERAGE of Hegseth’s confirmation hearing in one of the videos below. It is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. ET.
According to a copy of military evaluations reviewed by Fox News, Hegseth, was described as an “incredibly talented, battle-proven leader.” In a report, Fox wrote:
Hegseth deployed with the New Jersey National Guard to Guantánamo Bay, where he was leader of a 39-man Air Assault Infantry Rifle platoon capable of deploying anywhere within the world within 36 hours.
In an officer evaluation report covering April 2005 to January 2006, Hegseth received “outstanding performance” and was described as “an incredibly talented, battle-proven leader.”
“Having taken charge of his platoon mere days before deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he effectively led his platoon through five months of combat,” the report read. “He planned and executed platoon operations ranging from air assault raids to the defense of a forward operating base (FOB).”
Hegseth was ‘incredibly talented, battle-proven leader,’ military evaluations show https://t.co/nshoNkZXVV
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 13, 2025
Mark Lucas, an Afghanistan war veteran, announced Monday, “Get the facts straight on @PeteHegseth’s record before his confirmation hearing tomorrow. He was my predecessor at Concerned Veterans for America. I inherited a world class organization. He developed a policy vision to reform Veteran healthcare. I assumed command of his impressive executive team and grassroots army.
“We worked with President Trump to pass the VA Accountability & Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 and the VA MISSION Act of 2018. The Pentagon desperately needs his leadership & vision. He will make a great Secretary of Defense.”
Get the facts straight on @PeteHegseth‘s record before his confirmation hearing tomorrow.
He was my predecessor at Concerned Veterans for America. I inherited a world class organization.
He developed a policy vision to reform Veteran healthcare.
I assumed command of his… pic.twitter.com/ub72sLzHOp
— Mark Lucas (@lucasiowa) January 13, 2025
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