President-elect Donald Trump wants a US military capable of defeating the threats it faces. He believes the current feckless, indecisive, DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)-ridden Pentagon cannot do that. Consequently, Trump has selected a dedicated warrior to transform the Department of Defense (DOD) from woke to warfighters. Fox News personality and former Army Major Pete Hegseth is Trump's choice to get that job done. However, despite Hegseth's popularity among MAGA conservatives and the Trump team, his past behavior has created some speedbumps on the road to a timely Senate confirmation.
Hegseth in the Hot Seat
On January 14, Pete Hegseth will sit before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and defend his nomination for US Secretary of Defense (SECDEF). The SASC will fulfill its "Advise and Consent" responsibilities by questioning the Fox News morning show host to determine his qualifications for what may be the most consequential job in the US government. He will likely sit alone at a small desk with his wife, Jennifer, directly behind him, along with friends and others. He will be surrounded by inquisitors on a semi-circle dais facing him. On the table's surface in front of Mr. Hegseth will be a paper copy of an opening statement and a microphone with three colored lights at its base – green for more than one minute remaining, yellow for one minute or less time remaining, and red, the speakers time has elapsed, stop talking.
Peter Brian Hegseth grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and graduated in 1999 as Valedictorian at Forest Lake Area High School. He has an undergraduate degree in Politics from Princeton University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Hegseth joined the US Army through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Princeton and served tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, being awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantry Badge during the deployments. Hegseth has written four books on the American culture and military mindset. Among those are In the Arena (2016), American Crusade (2020), Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation (2022), and The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free (2024), none of which show Hegseth as a toady for the current liberal agenda. According to Ballotpedia, the publisher's comments on The War on Warriors explain the book "uncovers the deep roots of our dysfunction—a society that has forgotten the men who take risks, cut through red tape, and get their hands dirty." These accomplishments, however, are a prologue to what has been a tortuous run through a minefield of liberal detractors. Hegseth did not help himself with a spate of disreputable dalliances and bad behavior after leaving the military.
Less than three weeks after President-elect Trump announced Hegseth as his nominee for Secretary of Defense, the progressive media's long knives were in full attack mode, led by two articles that provided the Fourth Estate echo chamber with the fundamentals of a barrage of revelations designed to upend Hegseth's nomination. The first salvo fired at Hegseth was by The New Yorker, which hit the news wires on Dec. 1, titled "Pete Hegseth's Secret History", followed two days later by Vanity Fair's "The Storybook Start—And Bitter End—Of Pete Hegseth's First Marriage." The articles dredged up Hegseth's history of poor behavior from early marriages and his failure to curb sexual and alcohol indulgence. Typical of the narrative is this from The New Yorker:
"A trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct."
But that’s what anonymous sources said. People in leadership positions at Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) strongly contradict these characterizations. In a Jan. 16, 2016, publicly distributed open letter, a trustee for CVA, Randy Lair, stated, “The bottom line is that Pete Hegseth voluntarily resigned his position and CVA recognizes and appreciates his accomplishments as CEO. Pete provided strong leadership during the growth of CVA as an influential organization on many fronts.”
Picking up the attack theme, Vanity Fair goes on to round out the storyline that Pete Hegseth is a philandering drinker who should not be trusted with the future of US national security. The periodical focused on one incident that happened in Monterey, California, eight years ago, involving a woman who alleged Hegseth forced himself on her at a California Republican women's conference. A police report was filed at the time, and local law enforcement investigated the incident, but the local district attorney filed no charges. Vanity Fair described the encounter:
"According to an anonymous memo sent to the transition, which I later reviewed, the woman said Hegseth's alleged sexual assault happened while her husband and two young children were asleep in the hotel. … Hegseth declined to discuss the allegations in detail. 'The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared. And that's where I'm going to leave it,' he told reporters."
As is most often the case, Hegseth's accusers are anonymous sources or individuals close to the situation but who do not wish to be identified. "On Tuesday [Dec. 3], an NBC News report citing 10 anonymous former Fox News colleagues alleged Hegseth smelled of alcohol before going live on air. 'Fox and Friends Weekend' co-host Will Cain responded by compiling a thread of dozens of Fox News employees publicly defending Hegseth," the Daily Caller reported.
Warriors Engaged in Combat Come Home Changed
Combat veterans returning home from the battlefield are changed by the experience. They are not the same. "Hegseth has been open about resorting to alcohol during a period in his life when he had returned to the U.S. from active military duty and felt lost," The New Yorker reported. Most veterans returning from combat know that after facing an enemy bent on killing them, there is an affirming recognition that your brothers in arms are there with you, sharing the terror of the violence and relief of comradeship. Nonetheless, warriors come back different. "The brotherhood forged on the battlefield contrasts sharply with the isolation many face at home. The coping mechanisms that sustained troops overseas can fail veterans stateside," The Federalist explained.
Hegseth has been on the radar of liberals for his opposition to what he argues is the current administration's attacks on America's warfighters. In his most recent book, The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, Hegseth is clear, explaining: "Pushing Critical Race Theory, undermining merit-based performance, convincing recruits to join the military for gender-reassignment treatment, pushing women into combat roles, prosecuting warfighters, targeting certain political persuasions, and new 'green fleets' are all agendas being peddled by the Department of Defense's taxpayer-funded budget." This level of criticism will not win friends among the left's elite national security crowd.
Regarding other allegations, Hegseth has confessed to his misconduct, offered a defense when the accusations were inaccurate, and has repented. He maintains he has turned his life around. He has been very vocal about his reliance on Christ as his savior and redeemer. What is equally important for the SECDEF nominee is retaining the confidence of his champion, Donald Trump. Regardless of the fusillade of invective that may come his way now, Trump is not wavering.
"Vice President-elect J.D. Vance reached out to G.O.P. senators and major figures in the broader MAGA movement, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversations. … His message to his Senate colleagues was clear: I understand your concerns, but the president is not giving up on this nominee. He wants to fight," The New York Times reported, as Vance met with his Senate colleagues to support Hegseth as President-elect Trump's nominee for US defense chief. Trump is not the only advocate for Hegseth. "Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX) led a coalition of 32 military veterans serving in the US House of Representatives in endorsing Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. The group sent a letter to Senate leadership expressing their strong support for Hegseth's nomination," a recent press release from Pflueger's office stated.
As Pete Hegseth takes a seat for his confirmation hearing, he will face rabid opponents to his nomination, some senators skeptical that he is the best choice, and those willing to take him at his word that he is not the person he once was. For many of the SASC members, there will be an opportunity to exhibit a quality in short supply inside the nation's capital – forgiveness. "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," CBS News reported.
To many, the Department of Defense is foundering, listing in a sea of global threats that portend a future crisis, leaving the US in peril. The next president of the US believes Pete Hegseth is the one to right the ship.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
