Sen. Hirono: “If confirmed, your words, actions, and decisions would have real impacts on national security and our servicemembers’ lives. There are close to 3 million personnel in the Department of Defense—$900 billion budget. I hardly think you are prepared to do the job.”
~ Video of Sen. Hirono’s question line can be found here ~
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pressed Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, on his fitness to serve, character, and qualifications to lead the Department of Defense (DOD). During her line of inquiry, Senator Hirono questioned Mr. Hegseth on numerous reports of personal misconduct, sexual assault, and whether, if confirmed he will be loyal to the Constitution or Donald Trump.
Senator Hirono began with two questions related to sexual misconduct, which she has asked every nominee since 2018. She also raised her concerns about reports of Mr. Hegseth’s personal misconduct, including regularly being drunk at work. Senator Hirono then asked Mr. Hegseth to commit, under oath, that he will resign if he drinks alcohol while serving as Secretary of Defense. Notably, Mr. Hegseth refused to make such a commitment, despite repeatedly claiming he will not drink if confirmed.
“I'm not hearing an answer to my question so I'm going to move on,” said Senator Hirono during the exchange. “While you have made a commitment, you will not commit to resigning if you drink on the job.”
Senator Hirono then asked Mr. Hegseth whether his allegiance to President-elect Trump would take precedent over the oath he will make to support and defend our Constitution, if he is sworn in as Secretary of Defense. Senator Hirono cited an example from 2020 when then-President Trump directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs in Downtown D.C., an order Secretary Esper refused. When pressed by Senator Hirono, Mr. Hegseth refused to explicitly deny whether he would comply if Trump gave him a similar order.
“That sounds to me that you would comply with such an order,” said Senator Hirono. “You would shoot protesters in the leg. Moving on.”
Senator Hirono then cited several of President-elect Trump’s comments, including his refusal to rule out using military force to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal, his threats to invade Canada, as well as his intention to revoke the DOD’s current policy to allow servicemembers to be reimbursed for travel associated with reproductive health care, including abortions. Senator Hirono also expressed her concern over President-elect Trump’s comments to use the military to enable the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants—a decision that would significantly threaten our military readiness and cost billions of dollars.
“Mr. Hegseth, I have noticed a disturbing pattern—you previously have made a series of inflammatory statements about women in combat, LGBTQ servicemembers, Muslim Americans and Democrats. Since your nomination, however, you have walked those back on TV and interviews, and most recently in your opening statements,” said Senator Hirono. “You are no longer on ‘Fox and Friends,’ Mr. Hegseth. If confirmed, your words, actions, and decisions would have real impacts on national security and our servicemembers’ lives. There are close to 3 million personnel in the Department of Defense—$900 billion budget. I hardly think you are prepared to do the job.”
The full transcript of Senator Hirono’s exchange with Mr. Hegseth is available below. Video of Senator Hirono’s question line can be found here.
Senator Hirono: Mr. Hegseth, welcome. I am focused on your fitness to serve including your character and temperament and your overall qualifications to do the job and I do appreciate the comments of Ranking Member Reed with his concerns regarding your nomination because I share those concerns.
As part of my responsibility as a member of this committee, to ensure the fitness of all nominees who come before any of the committees on which I sit, I ask the following two initial questions: first, since you became a legal adult have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?
Mr. Hegseth: No, senator.
Senator Hirono: Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement relating to this kind of conduct?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, I was falsely accused in October of 2017. It was fully investigated and I was completely cleared.
Senator Hirono: I don't think completely cleared is accurate, but the fact is that your own lawyer said that you entered into an NDA, and paid a person who accused you of raping her a sum of money to make sure that she did not file a complaint. Moving on.
As secretary you will be in charge of maintaining good order and discipline by enforcing the uniform code of military justice, UCMJ. In addition to the sexual assault allegations—and by the way, the answer to my second question should have been yes—I have read multiple reports of you regularly being drunk at work, including by people who worked with you at Fox News. Do you know that being drunk at work is prohibited for servicemembers under the UCMJ?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, those are—
Senator Hirono: Yes or no?
Mr. Hegseth: —multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women who I work with –
Senator Hirono: I'm not hearing the answer to my question. In your opening statement, Mr. Hegseth, you commit to holding leaders accountable at all levels—that includes you, of course. And frankly, as Secretary you will be on the job 24/7. You recently promised some of my Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking and won’t drink if confirmed—correct?
Mr. Hegseth: Absolutely.
Senator Hirono: Will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink on the job, which is a ‘24/7’ position?
Mr. Hegseth: I've made this commitment on behalf—
Senator Hirono: Will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink on the job?
Mr. Hegseth: I've made these commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving because it’s the most important deployment of my life.
Senator Hirono: I'm not hearing an answer to my question so I'm going to move on. While you have made a commitment, you will not commit to resigning if you drink on the job.
As Secretary of Defense, you will swear an oath to the constitution and not an oath to any man, woman or President—correct?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, on multiple occasions including as a young second lieutenant, I have sworn an oath to the constitution and am proud to do so—
Senator Hirono: The answer is yes.
Mr. Hegseth: Yes ma'am.
Senator Hirono: In June of 2020 then-President Trump directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs in Downtown D.C., an order Secretary Esper refused to comply with. Would you carry out such an order from President Trump?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, I was in the Washington, D.C. National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events, holding a riot shield on behalf of my country—
Senator Hirono: Would you carry out an order to shoot protesters in the legs?
Mr. Hegseth: I saw 50 Secret Service agents get injured by rioters trying to jump over the fence, set the church on fire, and destroy a statue. Chaos—
Senator Hirono: That sounds to me that you would comply with such an order. You would shoot protesters in the leg. Moving on.
The President-elect has attacked our allies in recent weeks, refusing to rule out using military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal, and threatening to make Canada the 51st state. Would you carry out an order from President Trump to seize Greenland—a territory of our NATO ally Denmark—by force, or would you comply with an order to take over the Panama Canal?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, I will emphasize that President Trump received 77 million votes to be the lawful commander-in-chief of this country—
Senator Hirono: We are not talking about the election. My question is would you use our military to take over Greenland, or an ally of Denmark?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand. And so I would never, in this public forum, give one way or another direct what orders the President would give me in any context.
Senator Hirono: That sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal.
Current DOD policy allows servicemembers and eligible dependents to be reimbursed for travel associated with non-covert reproductive health care, including abortions. Will you maintain this commonsense policy?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, I've always been personally pro-life, I know President Trump has as well, and we will review all policies, but our standard is whatever the President wants on this particular issue, with my advice I will take a look at, but—
Senator Hirono: So if the President tells you that this policy will not be maintained, you will not enable our servicemembers to seek reproductive care. That is what it sounds like to me.
Mr. Hegseth: I don't believe the federal government should be funding travel for abortion—
Senator Hirono: I'm not hearing answers to my questions, Mr. Chairman.
I just want to note that the other area of serious concern to me is President Trump saying that he wants to use the military to help with mass deportations, which would cost billions of dollars and what that would do to readiness is very, very concerning.
Mr. Hegseth, I have noticed a disturbing pattern. You previously have made a series of inflammatory statements about women in combat, LGBTQ servicemembers, Muslim Americans, and Democrats. Since your nominations, however, you have walked those back on TV and interviews and most recently in your opening statements. You are no longer on ‘Fox and Friends,’ Mr. Hegseth. If confirmed, your words, actions, and decisions would have real impacts on national security and our servicemembers’ lives. There are close to 3 million personnel in the Department of Defense—$900 billion budget. I hardly think you are prepared to do the job. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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