By Mildred Robertson
During the confirmation hearing on Pete Hegseth's nomination on Tuesday, January 14, Democrats raised serious questions about his fitness to serve as head of the U.S. Department of Defense. Not only did they address his lack of experience in managing an agency such as the DOD, but they also questioned his character based on numerous reports of drunkenness and sexual abuse. Republicans responded by accusing the Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee of attempting to smear Trump's pick to lead the agency. In fact, the Democrats did not smear Hegseth but rather exposed the stains in his checkered past.
Hegseth is accused of sexual assault, mismanaging funds excessive drinking, public drunkenness, and disorderly conduct. Among the allegations is that Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of physically blocking her when she attempted to leave a hotel room and then sexually assaulting her. Although he paid her as part of a settlement agreement, he continues to assert his innocence.
A report in the New Yorker magazine stated that a former associate at Vets for Freedom, where Hegseth served as executive director, accused him of charging inappropriate expenses such as parties and trysts. Former employees who worked for him at Concerned Veterans for America sent a letter to the nonprofit's senior management also citing excessive drinking and ill-treatment of female staff. He allegedly categorized female staff as either "party girls," or "not party girls."
Similar allegations were raised by a Fox News producer, stating that Hegseth's drinking habit was an "open secret." Hegseth himself previously acknowledged that when he transitioned from military to civilian life he drank heavily. He pledges that if confirmed, he will quit drinking altogether.
That would be laughable if it were not so scary. First of all, how many alcoholics have you heard make similar statements? Secondly, do we want to gamble with our national security on the promise of a man with a drinking problem?
Can you imagine the phone ringing at 2 o'clock in the morning regarding an urgent military matter? Would we want to entrust the control of our military to someone who might be passed out on the couch when an important call came in, or a pressing military issue needed clear-eyed attention? Do we want someone like Hegseth to be responsible for responding to a domestic or international emergency? Do we want an alleged drunken womanizer to represent us on the world stage? Well, I might not want the answer to that question, since a felony and a sexual assault conviction did not give the American public pause on Election Day November 5th.
Those are some of the questions Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee asked during the confirmation hearing today. The questions appear fair to ask of someone seeking a position of such importance, and you cannot smear that which has already been stained.
