Chaos Erupts At Hegseth’s Confirmation As Protestors Hijack Hearing
Hecklers opposed to the confirmation of the former Fox News host repeatedly disrupted Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth’s introductory remarks during his confirmation hearing.
In his opening statement, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Defense defended his qualifications, explaining why Trump remained confident in his leadership despite weeks of negative media coverage focused on allegations of alcoholism and womanizing.
At least three protesters were removed from the room before Hegseth could complete his speech. One elderly man shouted, “You are a misogynist!” from the back of the room, interrupting Hegseth as he attempted to respond.
The man was escorted out, but microphones in the room continued to capture some of his comments as he was removed. Meanwhile, Hegseth remained composed, pausing his remarks to take a sip of water before continuing.
“The primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,” Hegseth stated. “He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, war-fighting, and readiness.”
As Hegseth resumed speaking, a second protester, this time a woman, began shouting from the back of the room. Capitol police officers intervened, attempting to remove her from the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
The disruption, caught on a C-SPAN camera, showed officers restraining the woman with her arms behind her back as she was escorted out. Members of the press and some audience members quickly began recording the scene. However, due to the distance between the microphones and the protester, her exact words could not be heard.
“You may continue, sir,” said committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) once the situation was under control and the woman, along with a man wearing a pink service member’s uniform, had been removed.
Hegseth tried once again to deliver his remarks, stating, “We will reestablish trust in our military, addressing the recruiting crisis, the retention crisis, and the readiness crisis in our ranks.”
Moments later, a third protester loudly interrupted, requiring several officers to carry him out of the room as he resisted. After these disruptions, senators finally had an opportunity to question Hegseth on the controversies surrounding his nomination.
Senator Wicker began by asking Hegseth to address media reports alleging he struggled with drinking problems after leaving military service.
Hegseth dismissed the allegations, calling them part of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us.”
A vote on Hegseth’s confirmation is expected by the end of the week, which would provide President-elect Trump with a defense secretary ahead of his inauguration.
Dozens of retired generals and admirals have voiced support for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary.
In a letter signed by over 120 flag officers, they expressed “strong support” for Hegseth amid intense scrutiny from the media, much of it based on anonymous sources.
“He understands combat from the grassroots level and will bring that much-needed perspective with him as the next SECDEF,” the letter stated.
The retired officers commended Hegseth for his commitment to reversing the negative effects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives on the military. “He has studied and experienced the disastrous effects Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has on our military, and he is committed to expunging it from our armed forces. His focus is solely on warfighting readiness so that our military is prepared to fulfill its mission—to fight and win our nation’s wars,” they wrote.
Hegseth’s dedication to the armed forces and his experience in Iraq and Afghanistan were highlighted as qualities that made him the ideal leader for the Department of Defense.
The officers also noted that Trump carefully selected Hegseth from a competitive pool of candidates, confident in his ability to drive necessary reforms.
“President Trump has the right and responsibility to select key people who are capable of fulfilling his promises to the American people. Prominent in that mandate was making our military strong and lethal, to include removing what is called ‘wokeness’ in the form of (DEI) from our armed forces,” the letter concluded.