Former National Guard infantry officer and Fox News host Pete Hegseth is preparing to be sworn in as defense secretary following a confirmation vote Friday.
The Republican-controlled Senate saw a small handful vote against party lines, including Kentucky Sen. Mitch Connell, the former majority leader who is planning to retire next year. Vice President JD Vance broke the 50-50 vote to seal Hegseth’s confirmation.
His nomination was controversial from the time it was announced in November, with multiple allegations of past sexual misconduct, problematic alcohol use, and financial mismanagement seemed to jeopardize his road to the E ring.
As recently as Tuesday, his former sister-in-law came forward alleging that Hegseth terrorized his second wife to the point that his family had safe words and an escape plan in place should his behavior prompt her to flee.
Hegseth, 44, has denied all of the allegations against him, including a sexual assault report from 2017, which he characterized as a consensual encounter; he subsequently paid the woman $50,000 for her silence. He has also pledged not to consume alcohol while serving as defense secretary.
One Republican “no” vote came from Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, explaining her choice.
“While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces,” she wrote. “These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of servicemembers. Men and women in uniform are held accountable for such actions, and they deserve leaders who uphold these same standards.”
Hegseth, who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in the Minnesota National Guard, promised during his confirmation hearing to focus on warfighting and lethality, in a perceived contrast to the time spent on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts during the Biden administration.
“The strength of our military is our unity—our shared purpose—not our differences,” he said in his prepared remarks.
In reality, Hegseth’s stated goals are nearly identical to those of the Biden and the first Trump administrations, heavy on promises of acquisition reform, deterrence of China in the Indo-Pacific region, and shepherding the world’s most lethal fighting force.
“It’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm,” Hegseth said, though he follows two retired four-star generals in Lloyd Austin—who earned a Silver Star during the Iraq invasion—and Jim Mattis, both of whom led troops as infantry officers at every echelon before taking the helm at U.S. Central Command; as well as Mark Esper, a retired lieutenant colonel and fellow infantry officer.
“Ask anyone who has ever worked with me—or for me: I know what I don’t know,” he said. “My success as a leader has always been setting a clear vision, hiring people smarter and more capable than me, empowering them to succeed, holding everyone accountable, and driving toward clear metrics.”
