Some of Hegsett’s past comments about how he might reshape the Defense Department have also been puzzling.
In a recent podcast, Hegseth said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — the top military leader in the U.S. — should be fired, as well as any military leader “involved in any of the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) woke (expletive).” )”.
He also argued that women should not serve in combat because the practice did not make the military “more effective” or “more lethal.”
Skepticism is growing about Hegsett’s chances of getting enough votes for Senate confirmation, CBS reports.
At least four Republican senators would likely vote against him if they were to vote today, two sources told the news outlet.
Republicans are expected to hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, which is expected to confirm cabinet-level positions in Trump’s new team. A loss of four Republican votes would be enough to eliminate Hegsett’s candidacy, assuming Democrats and independents also vote against him.
Some Washington lawmakers have questioned Hegsett’s authority to oversee the complex bureaucracy in the position to which he was appointed.
“I’ll admit it, I didn’t know who he was until 20 minutes ago,” said Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. “And of course he doesn’t seem to have any experience in (Defense Department) politics.”
John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first presidency, told the BBC that the position of defense secretary should never be an “appointment of loyalty”.
“The question is, will he support Donald Trump, or will he act professionally and courageously, as he did when he was in uniform?” Bolton asked.
Hegseth is not Trump’s first controversial appointment before he returned to the White House.
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, Trump’s nominee for US attorney general, has also faced scrutiny over sexual harassment allegations against him, which he denied, and which were the subject of a congressional report.
Goetz eventually withdrew his candidacy in late November, saying the controversy against him was an “unfair distraction” from the work of the incoming Trump administration.
