Pete Hegseth's Senate Hearing: A Disaster Without Consequences
Despite an abysmal performance before the Senate, Pete Hegseth is likely to be confirmed

Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News contributor and alleged sexual predator, is likely to be confirmed. That reality, while unsurprising, is a painful reminder of the powerful and seemingly unending defense of alleged sexually predatory men that comes with the incoming Trump administration. 1 Despite several telling and embarrassing moments in his hearing, it is clear that Hegseth is very likely to be the next Secretary of Defense.
The State of the Hearings
The hearings, which began earlier this morning, were streamed live to C-SPAN and went about as well as expected.
Democrats, incensed by the incoming Trump administration's and Hegseth's lack of transparency, were critical of the former Fox contributor. According to NPR, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who has voted for eight of the last nominees for the Secretary of Defense, condemned Hegseth, saying that he lacks "the character and composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of defense."2
Lambasting Hegseth’s record, Sen. Reed pointed to Hegseth’s management of the advocacy group Veterans for Freedom, noting: “In each year you were in charge, expenses far exceeded revenues, until the organization teetered on bankruptcy and had to be merged with another group…” Sen. Reed further chastised Hegseth for his opposition to the Geneva convention in his book The War on Warriors (2024).
What is more significant, however, is Hegseth’s character. As I noted in my previous article on Hegseth, the nominee has a dark history. 3
Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa in California. Hegseth paid the woman to keep silent but continued to deny the allegations, noting that no charges were filed. 4
Hegseth also has a history of bigoted and ridiculous defenses of sexual assault. In an article he edited for his conservative paper, The Princeton Tory, Hegseth published an article that argued that having sex with a woman who passes out from drinking is not “…a clear case of rape” because there would be no distress. Needless to say, such arguments betray deep-seated issues with the rights of women. The most blatant of which is his consent issue. 5
Those payments, which his lawyer confirmed, pose a challenge to any denial by Hegseth.4 During the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) noted that even though Hegseth denies that he sexually assaulted someone, the encounter would necessarily still be a problem for his character as the sexual encounter would be cheating on his second wife. 5
Hegseth’s stumbling through that section was not only embarrassing but also illustrative of his willingness to acknowledge his weak defenses against the allegations of rape that he faces, but that would not be the only painful part of the hearing.
At one point, Senator Warren (D-MA) criticized Hegseth for his seemingly sudden shift in his position on women in the military. She rightfully pointed out that Hegseth said, without qualification, that women didn’t belong in the military. However, in his appearance before the Senate, he appealed to the military's standards, having what Senator Warren called “a nomination conversion."6
That sliminess, combined with his alleged drinking problems, is yet another example of how unqualified and corrupt this nominee is. Unfortunately, the allegations against Hegseth don’t seem likely to sink his chances at confirmation.
Partisanship and Powerful Men
It is a painful and infuriating situation, but seeing as how Republicans repeatedly rallied around Hegseth and disparaged Democrats and the Senate itself, as Sen. Mullin (R-OK) did by claiming that Senators have voted drunk, it is unlikely that the GOP will abandon their nominee. 7
The reality is that men, powerful and influenced by partisanship, are going to put an alleged sexual predator and adulterer who doesn’t have the experience to lead the Department of Defense in charge of that very department. They are going to do so without so much as interviewing the woman who accused their nominee of assault or any of the women who were previously married to him. Nobody should be surprised by the blatant cowardice that is on display by the GOP. They are not interested in evaluating the allegations. At their core, they are interested in only one thing: power.
Originally published at https://theprogressiveamerican.com on January 14, 2025.
Conor Kelly, “Pete Hegseth’s Senate Hearing: Allegations and Implications,” The Progressive American (blog), January 14, 2025, https://theprogressiveamerican.com/2025/01/13/pete-hegseths-senate-hearing-allegations-and-implications/.
Deirdre Walsh, “Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick, Grilled at Contentious Senate Hearing,” NPR, January 14, 2025, sec. Politics, https://www.npr.org/2025/01/14/g-s1-42564/trump-cabinet-picks-pete-hegseth-confirmation-hearing.
Conor Kelly, “Pete Hegseth’s Senate Hearing: Allegations and Implications,” The Progressive American (blog), January 14, 2025.
Bill Chappell, “Defense Pick Peter Hegseth Paid Accuser to Protect His Career, His Lawyer Confirms,” NPR, November 18, 2024, sec. Politics, https://www.npr.org/2024/11/18/g-s1-34704/pete-hegseth-paid-accuser-career-scrutiny-defense.
SHOCK MOMENT: Tim Kaine Shows No Mercy Grilling Pete Hegseth About Past Cheating And Accusations, 2025.
Demian Bio, “Elizabeth Warren Uses Hegseth’s Own Words To Call Out Sudden ‘About Face’ On Women In Military: ’We’ve Got The Video,” Latin Times, January 14, 2025, https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/elizabeth-warren-uses-hegseth-s-own-words-to-call-out-sudden-about-face-on-women-in-military-we-ve-got-the-video/ar-BB1rrUdT.
Brian Niemietz, “Okla. Sen. Markwayne Mullin Accuses Colleagues of Voting While Drunk,” New York Daily News, January 14, 2025, sec. news, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/okla-sen-markwayne-mullin-accuses-colleagues-of-voting-while-drunk/ar-AA1xcz70?ocid=BingNewsSerp.
Republicans would approve charles Manson? After all their president is a rapist, extortionist, business cheat, insurrectionist, etc. the approval is a farce. No behavior is too low for republicans