mr. hegseth and mr. catlin conducted weekly meetings to meticulously review every dollar that the organization spent. pete's hands on approach and dedication to financial responsibility ensured that vets for freedom operated within its budget. his letters also state that pete treated his staff with the utmost respect regardless of race or gender. i ask unanimous consent for this into the record. congratulations on your nomination, thanks for appearing before the committee today. i enjoyed meeting you in my office before christmas and i've enjoyed our friendship before that. you stated in your advanced policy questions that the american people need to be informed, engaged and inspired to join our military. i wholeheartedly agree with that. but we also have a problem with obesity and falling academic standards. it's very concerning. if confirmed, how would you approach increasing the number of americans eligible to serve in the military without lowering standards? mr. hegseth: i think there are already, to

mr. hegseth. thank you senator hirono. senator sullivan. >> mr. hegseth congratulations on your nomination and thank you for your service and sacrifice. now for the most important question you will receive all day. in 1935 before the congress the father of the united states air force general billy mitchell was testifying about a certain place in the world. he said, "i believe that in the future whoever holds this place will control the world. this location is the most strategic place in the world." what place was billy mitchell talking about and let me give you a hint, it was not greenland. mr. hegseth: i believe he was talking about alaska. >> great answer. if confirmed, will you commit to come with me to the great state of alaska and meet our warriors on the front lines every day? mr. hegseth: senator, i have and as i mentioned in the past i did a brief training exercise at fort rain white -- fort wainwright and i look forward to returning. we are on the front lines with this new era of authoritarian integration -- aggression. in the last two yea

mr. hegseth. i would like a statement from 86 of them who support his nomination although they come from different units and ranks, commending mr. hegseth for his selfless leadership, love of soldiers. chair wicker: two items? sen. sheehy: when item. chair wicker: who without sen. sheehy: pete, i'm going to ask you buttons because i want to hear your answer. how many genders are there? mr. hegseth senator, there are two genders. sen. sheehy: i'm sheehy, so i'm on board. [laughter] how many push-ups can you do? mr. hegseth: i did five sits at 47 this morning. sen. sheehy: what do you think are most important strategic bases in the pacific? mr. hegseth: guam is strategically significant. sen. sheehy: how many rounds of 556 can you fit in an m4 rifle? mr. hegseth: standard is 30. sen. sheehy: what kind of batteries do you put in your night vision goggle? mr. hegseth: duracell? [laughter] sen. sheehy: right there you are represent qualifications that show you understand what the war fighter deals with

mr. hegseth's personal life and some of his policy pronouncements. regarding his personal conduct, mr. hegseth admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time. it is noteworthy the vast majority of the accusations leveled that mr. hegseth have come from anonymous sources. contrast these anonymous accusations with the many public letters of support and commendation. we have seen letters from people who served with mr. hegseth. these individuals have worked with him professionally. they really know him and his character. these patriotic americans have been willing to put their names and reputations on the line to support mr. hegseth. i look forward to sharing these testimonials with the american people. one comes from david who earned the medal of honor for heroic actions in combat in fallujah, iraq. he writes the following. "pete is fearless, unflappable and confronts conflict had on. he's a leader to the core. when pete is confirmed as the next secretary of defense of the united states of america, this country will finally know the privilege of having a true ambassador able to

mr. hegseth and mrs. samantha hegseth. it states that there were no claims of domestic abuse or probable evidence of abuse in the relationship. without objection, that will be added to the record and we we now. um, we now move to, uh, senator cramer. >> thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. hegseth, for your service, for your willingness to endure this. and i'm sorry for what has been happening to you, particularly the very idea that you should have to sit there and answer hypothetical potential in somebody's imagination, crimes that may take place at some point. and wouldn't that disqualify you if you were a murderer or if you were a rapist? unfair, unfair. and i'm embarrassed for, for for this behavior. but first i want to say thank you for your strong. proclamation, unapologetic, unapologetic proclamation of faith in jesus christ. i sat here and listened to your opening statement and thought, wow, this is a guy who, in today's culture, is willing to stand up and say, the first thing is first faith in jesus

mr hegseth was a fox will re'oice. mr hegseth was a fox news will rejoice.tv presenter when - will rejoice. mr hegseth was a fox news tv presenter when cricket i will rejoice. mr hegseth was a fox - news tv presenter when cricket world cup picked 1427 00:15:17,290 -->

mr. hegseth. thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman and mr. hegseth. congratulations on your nomination and thank you and your family for your service and sacrifice. >> thank you, senator. >> now for the most important question you'll receive all day. in 1935 before the congress the father of the united states air force, general billy mitchell, was testifying about a certain place in the world. he said quote, i believe that in the future whoever holds this place will control the world. this location is the most strategic place in the world. what place was billy mitchell talking about and let me give you a hit? it wasn't greenland. >> i believe he was talking about the great state of alaska. >> the great state of alaska. if confirmed will you commit to come with me to the great state of alaska and meet our warriors who are on the front lines every day? >> senator, i have and as i mentioned to you in the past i did a brief training exercise up at fort wainwright in a previous part of my military life. i look forward to returning. >> i will say we are on

mr. hegseth and mr. catalan conducted weekly meetings to meticulously review every dollar that the organization spent. pete's hands-on approach and dedication to financial responsibility ensured that vets for freedom operated within its budget. mr. catalan's letter also states that pete treated his staff with the utmost respect regardless of race or gender. i ask unanimous consent to enter it in the record. mr. chairman. >> without objection so ordered. >> mr. hegseth, congratulations on your nomination. thanks for appearing before the committee today. i enjoyed meeting in my office before christmas, and i enjoyed our friendship before that. you know, you stated in your advanced policy questions that the american people need to be informed, engaged and inspired to join our military. i wholeheartedly agree with that. we also have a problem, though, with the obesity and falling academic standa standards. it's very concerning. we talked about that before. if confirmed, how would you approach the increasing

mr. hegseth. before we begin with member questions, i would like to remind my colleagues that consistent with the bipartisan staff agreement from december, and in concert with exactly how this committee dealt with the last secretary of defense nominee, each member will be recognized for one round of seven minutes to question the nominee. out of respect for the time of all members of this committee, the time limits will be tightly enforced. we've now been here 45 minutes and i think we've done very well with the time but at this point i will begin my questioning of the nominee. mr. hegseth, you and your family have endured criticism of your nomination since it was announced in november. let's get into this allegation about sexual assault, inappropriate behavior and other things. i should note the majority of these have come from anonymous sources in liberal media publications but i want to give you an opportunity to respond to these allegations, sir. >> mr. chairman, thank you for that opportunity.

mr. hegseth -- unfortunately for mr. hegseth, his testimony thus far has failed to address the disturbing questions that plague his nomination. it appears mr. hegseth's strategy is to follow the five d's of dodge ball -- dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. mr. hegseth failed to explain for one why someone with his lack of qualifications should be entrusted to lead our armed forces. why should america entrust our military to a television personality who has never led any large organization? it's a huge organization, dod. he hasn't come close to having any of that kind of administrative experience. we didn't hear any good answer to that question. mr. hegseth also failed to honor his deeply flawed history of financial and organizational mismanagement. why should he be the one entrusted to manage the pentagon's budget? again, no good answer. when asked about his comments as recently as two months ago, when he claimed we should not have women in combat roles, he had no good answers. finally, mr. hegseth failed to assure us he h

mr. hegseth and mr. catlin conducted weekly meetings to meticulously review every dollar that the organization spent. pete's hands on approach and dedication to financial responsibility ensured that vets for freedom operated within its budget. mr. catlin's letter also states that pete treated his staff with the utmost respect, regardless of race or gender. so i ask unanimous consent to enter this into the record. mr. chairman. without objection. so ordered. thank you, mr. hegseth. congratulations on your nomination. thank you for appearing before the committee today. i enjoyed meeting with you in my office before christmas, and i've enjoyed our friendship before that. you know, you stated in your advanced policy questions that the american people need to be informed, engaged and inspired to join our military. i wholeheartedly agree with that. and we also have a problem though, with obesity and falling academic standards. it's very concerning and we've talked about that before. so if confirmed, how would

mr. hegseth will actually move to fix these issues decisively. in short, i'm confident that mr. a team of experienced top officials will get the job done. the secretary of defense is a very important position but the secretary's span of control is limited. the pentagon is vast with 3 million plus personnel. unformed, civilian and contractor. a successful secretary understands that steering the ship means focusing his attention on strategic level priorities. secretary must be supportive with exceptional subordinates who will run the day-to-day affairs of the office of the secretary of defense. the military services and other d.o.d. components. i'm also confident as an infantryman mr. hegseth understands the military principle of commanders intent. communicate the clear objective and empower subordinates to use initiative and judgment and hold everybody accountable. we must not underestimate the importance of having a top shelf communicator as secretary of def defense. other than the president, no official plays a larger role in telling the men and women in uniform rick congress an

mr. hegseth? it it it seems to me that you've supervised far more people than the average united states senator supervises tiktok. >> and except for except for former governors. >> mr. chairman, senator mullen, i understand you are yielding back your time and do not wish to ask questions. i was i was misinformed by senator mullen. you're right. >> caught me totally off guard there. i'd like to submit for the record signatures by 32 members of the house of representatives who are veterans. the signatures call on the senate to honor the constitutional duty of advise and consent by conducting a fair, thorough confirmation process that evaluates his nomination solely on the substance and merits his distinguished military service, academic credentials, and a bold vision for revitalizing the national defense. i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record without objection. you know, there's a lot of talk going about talking about qualifications and then about us hiring him if we are the board. but the

mr. hegseth. before we begin with member questions, i would like to remind my colleagues that consistent with the bipartisan staff agreement from december and in concert with exactly how this committee dealt with the last secretary of defense nominee. each member will be recognized for one round of seven minutes to question the nominee out of respect for the time of all members of this committee. the time limits will be tightly enforced. it. we've now been here 45 minutes, and i think we've done very well with the time, but at this point i will begin my questioning of the nominee. mr. hicks, you and your family have endured criticism of your nomination since it was announced in november. let's get into this allegation about sexual assault, inappropriate workplace behavior, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement during your time as a nonprofit executive. i should note that the majority of these have come from anonymous sources in liberal media publications. but i want to give you an opportunity

mr. hegseth. thank you, senator hirono. >> senator sullivan, thank you, mr. chairman. and mr. hegseth, congratulations on your nomination. and thank you and your family for your service and sacrifice. thank you, senator. now for the most important question. you will receive all day. in 1935, before the congress, the father of the united states air force, general billy mitchell, was testifying about a certain place in the world. he said, quote, i believe that in the future, whoever holds this place will control the world. this location is the most strategic place in the world. what place was billy mitchell talking about? and let me give you a hint. it wasn't greenland. >> i believe he was talking about the great state of alaska. >> he was talking about the great state of alaska. great answer. if confirmed, will you commit to come with me to the great state of alaska? meet our warriors who are on the front lines every day. >> senator, i have, and as i mentioned to you in the past, i did a brief training exercise up at fort wainwright at a previous part of my military life. i look

mr. hegseth.his is about questioning him on women in combat, fighting sexual salt in the military, she, herself, a veteran and sexual sole survivor. here's part of the exchange with joni ernst. [video clip] >> for the young women who are out there now and can meet those standards, and i will emphasize they should be very, very high standards, they must physically be able to achieve those standards so they can complete their mission, but i would like to know, let's make it clear for everyone here today, as secretary of defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles? >> senator, first of all, thank you for your service, as we discussed -- >> it is my privilege. >> my answer is, yes, exactly the way you copy audited, women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high and we will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded. in any one of these cases. one of the persons we do at the pentagon is reviewing that in a ge

mr. hegseth. thank you for being here today. thank you for your service to this country. thank you. >> senator. >> few nominees come into this room with all the necessary experience to do this job, to be secretary of defense. we get that. it's a reflection on just how big of a job this is. what i want to understand is whether or not you bring any of the necessary experience that this job requires. and here's where i'm concerned. senator coleman, in introducing you. and this is a quote he said he has struggled and overcome great personal challenges, unquote. you walk in here saying that you've had personal and character issues in your past, including heavy drinking, which you wrote about, and you said, and this is a quote from you that you said, i sit before you as an open book, yet you haven't actually said what personal challenges it is that you've overcome when you've been asked about them. so i'm going to give you an opportunity here to be as forthright as you say you want to be. so while leadin

mr. hegseth an excellent choice. but democrats decried him as lowering standards for the top defense job. >> i hardly think you are prepared to do the job. lisa: hegseth focused on his leadership skills and vision. pete hegseth: i want smarter and more capable people around me than me. and you will get that at the department. what is your bedtime? lisa: but democratic senators hash raised other concerns, past affairs and reports of hegseth being falling-down drunk at work events. pete hegseth: a small handful of anonymous sources were allowed to drive a smear campaign. lisa: democrats pointed out it was not all anonymous. they said some eyewitnesses to drinking have given their names and -- >> so, you acknowledge that you cheated on your wife and that you cheated on the woman by whom you had just fathered a child. lisa: adultery is illegal under the uniform code of military justice. hegseth repeatedly did not comment when asked to deny or explain many accusations. but he did reject allegations that he sexually assault

mr. hegseth, none of those countries are in ossian. none of thosese three countries you mentioned are in ossian. i suggestst you do a a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations. listen, mr. hegseth, sense -- we ask our troops to go into harm's way all the time. we asked him to go into harm's way and this, behind me, is a copy of the soldiers creed, copy that usually hangs over my desk here in the senate. you should be familiar with the pickets the same topics that hung over my death at walter reed every singly i woke up and fought my way back because i would to go back and serve with my buddy sustained my life. this same copy, these words are repeated over and over and over again. let me read out two things to you, two senses. i've always place the mission first, and i am disciplined physically mentally tough, trade trained and proficient my warrior task. mr. hegseth, i followed these words every single day and they meant and a pack the rucksacks and they go to war. they deserve a who can lead them, not a lead

mr. hegseth paid to settle. there is new reporting in the new yorker citing three sources that said senators including joni ernst and susan collins turned down offers to hear privately from hegseth's accuser. would you want the chance to meet with the accuser privately to be able to see through your due diligence in this advice and consent role? sen. banks: it is unfortunate that we deal with anonymous allegations and sources. if these people want to come forward and publicly make those claims they would be much more credible and taken more seriously. that has not happened. democrats on the committee repeated anonymous allegations today. amna: i want to clarify. i am asking if you would meet privately with the woman behind accusation in 2017. sen. banks: sure, but nobody has reached out to me to do that. at this point we need to get pete hegseth on the job in the role of secretary of defense to clean up the mess over the last four years and that is why i fully support his confirmation. amna: republican senator ji

mr. hegseth has faced? guest: he is a disruptor.you come to washington, much like trump did in 2016, the knives come out for folks like that. we will hear questions to mr. hegseth and he will answer those questions for the american people and the senators who will consider him. host: some people you are focusing on. an ad campaign focusing on states such as south dakota where senator john thing is -- thune is. guest: we looked at who had come out in support or opposition or not made statements related to these nominees as of december. we decided on those states to soft appeal to those republicans encouraging them and showing their support for their constituencies, their voters in those states. the campaign we started in december was a petition. we garnered signatures and got over 100,000 people to sign the petition. we will deliver that to the senate. a soft appeal. less so on the hard dollars and threats. it is just an appeal for them to do their job. host: senator thune, the majority leader. you are focused on senator mcconnell, t

mr. hegseth. i welcome you and your family to today's hearing. n by saying that i respect and appreciate your military service in the army national guard. i know from experience that there is no greater privilege than to lead american soldiers. and i thank you for answering the call. you have been nominated to be the secretary of defense. the secretary is responsible for leading a department of 3.5 million service members and civilians, an annual budget of nearly $900 billion and hundreds of thousands of aircraft, ships, submarines, combat vehicles, satellites and the nuclear arsenal. the secretary also plays a powerful role with our allies, partners and adversaries abroad. and as we speak, china is seeking to undermine our interests, intimidate our friends and challenge our standing in the world. russia's campaign against ukraine threatens not only europe, but the entire global order. ongoing violence in the middle east has teetered on the edge of all out war, and the ideologies and actions of violent extremists endanger our citizens, even on our

mr. hegseth. we've reached out to him multiple times.chedule a meeting in my office, and he's not meeting with any other democrats on the committee other than the ranking member. more information is better if he wants to be confirmed for this job. i think it's in our best interest to have everything out on the table. >> former democrat tulsi gabbard, she is controversial as well. republican senator kapita was on fox and said when she met with tulsi gabbard she pressed her on that trip to syria that came in the wake of a chemical weapons attack carried out by dictator bashar al assad against civilians. gabbard told her, she said, that she didn't even know she was going to syria, that she intended to go to lebanon on the scheduled visit and ended up in syria. is that a credible answer? >> i talked to congresswoman gabbard this week, met with her in my office. we talked about the trip to syria. she didn't tell me that part. i think it's kind of unusual that you wind up in one place that wasn't part of the plan. but what concerns me more, es

mr. hegseth. >> reporter: hegseth also pressed about an accusation he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017, a charge he denies. claiming the encounter was consensual. senator tim kaine pointing out that at the time hegseth was married, and had recently had a baby with another woman. >> you acknowledge that you cheated on your wife and that you cheated on the woman who -- by whom you had just fathered a child? you have admitted that? >> i will allow your words to speak -- >> you're not retracting that today? >> reporter: democrats challenging him on reports of excessive drinking. he has promised he would not drink alcohol if he's confirmed. >> a cba staffer stated that you passed out in the back of a party bus. is that true or false? >> anonymous smears. >> reporter: republicans on the committee making it clear they've got hegseth's back. >> he is a decorated post-9/11 combat veteran. he will inject a new warrior ethos into the pentagon, a spirit that can cascade from the top down. >> reporter: and david, that key republican senator joni ernst announced just moments ago she will be supportin

mr. hegseth, let's just stop right there. mr. hegseth, i'm quoting you -- i'm quoting you from the podcast. women shouldn't be in combat at all. where is the reference to standards? that they should be there if they can carry, if they can run? i don't see that at all, mr. hegseth. >> reporter: hegseth also pressed about an accusation he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017, a charge he denies. senator tim kaine pointing out that at the time, hegseth was married, and had recently had a baby with another woman. >> you acknowledge that you cheated on your wife and that you cheated on the woman who, by whom you had just fathered a child? you have admitted that? >> i will allow your words to speak -- >> you're not retracting that today? >> reporter: >> david:s challenging him on reports of excessive drinking. he's promised he would not drink alcohol if he's confirmed. >> cba staffer said you passed out in the back of a party bus. is that true or false? >> anonymous smears. >> reporter: republicans making it clear they have hegseth's back

mr hegseth, you and your family have — hegseth, you and your family have endured criticism of your nomination -et announced in november. let's get into— announced in november. let's get into this allegation about sexual— get into this allegation about sexual assault, inappropriate workplace behaviour, alcohol abuse — workplace behaviour, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement during your time as a nonprofit executive. i should _ as a nonprofit executive. i should note that, the majority of these — should note that, the majority of these have come from anonymous sources in liberal media — anonymous sources in liberal media publications. but i'm going — media publications. but i'm going to _ media publications. but i'm going to give you an opportunity to respond to these allegations. as opportunity to respond to these allegations-_ allegations. as to chairman, thank you — allegations. as to chairman, thank you for _ allegations. as to chairman, thank you for that _ allegations. as to chairman, i thank you for that opportunity. you are correct. we undertook you are cor

here's some more of what mr hegseth has been pete hegseth knows he has to put up a fight he if he ise is facing cover trove is that could stop the senate confirming him. he does have supporter but there is a long list of allegations against him. a variety of sources including your own writings implicate you with disregarding the laws of war, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist remarks about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassments and other troubling issues. mr hegseth blamed the left—wing media for stories he said were not true. he is concentrating on thejob he hopes is ahead of him. when president trump chose me for this, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the department of defense. he, like me e wants a pentagon laserfocussed, on lethalty, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability, and readiness. shouting. protestors angry about the war in gaza interrupted the hearing several times. pete hegseth has vowed to get what he calls the woke out of the military. saying women should not serve in combat, claiming

mr. hegseth questions about it. when it comes to a job like secretary of defense, there can be zero question, zero that the nominee is up for the job. unfortunately mr. hegseth's record leaves too many unanswered questions. let's hope we get real answers and real documentation before anyone votes for mr. hegseth for secretary of defense. on laken riley, today the senate will vote on a motion to proceed on the laken riley act. the senate invoked cloture on this bill last week with a strong bipartisan vote. as i said last week, democrats want to have a robust debate where we can offer amendments and r improve this bill. this issue is very important. americans deserve for us to debate the issue seriously, including by considering amendments from the democratic side. we're going to ask our republican colleagues to allow for debate and votes on amendments. i hope my republican colleagues will allow for it. and finally, on the january 6 pardons -- not finally. next to finally. l donald trump promised to pardon the violent

mr hegseth blamed the left—wing media for stories he said were not true. ahead of him. when president trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the department of defense. he, like me, wants a pentagon laser focussed, on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness. shouting ..send money— to bomb children in gaza! protestors angry about the war in gaza interrupted the hearing several times. pete hegseth has vowed to get what he calls the "woke" out of the military, saying women should not serve in combat, claiming mums have no place in the military. you don't want politics in the dod. everything you have said in public statements is politics. "i don't want women, i don't want moms." what is wrong with a mom, by the way? many republicans do want him to rid the military of any political correctness. if confirmed, and you issued an order saying, "we are going to rip the biden woke yoke off the neck of our military and focus on lethality more fighting," how do you think the troo

mr hegseth blamed the left—wing media for stories he said were not true.hen president trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the department of defense. he, like me, wants a pentagon laser focussed, on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness. shouting protestors angry about the war in gaza interrupted the hearing several times. pete hegseth has vowed to get what he calls the "woke" out of the military, saying women should not serve in combat, claiming mums have no place in the military. you don't want politics in the dod. everything you have said in public statements is politics. "i don't want women, i don't want moms." what is wrong with a mom, by the way? many republicans do want him to rid the military of any political correctness. if confirmed, and you issued an order saying, "we are going to rip the biden woke yoke off the neck of our military and focus on lethality more fighting," how do you think the troops will react? senator, i know the troops will rejoice.

mr. hegseth an excellent choice to improve this unacceptable status quo. >> during the hearing, pete hegseth repeatedly sidestepped questions from democratic senator elissa slotkin on whether he would ever stand up to president elect trump if trump were to ever give any illegal orders. hegseth said he rejects the premise that trump would ever give any illegal orders. several people close to president elect trump told cnn that trump's team was in good spirits after the hearing, pointing to the warm reception that he got from republican senators on the armed services committee. wolf. >> brian todd reporting. brian, thank you very much. i want to go to capitol hill right now, where cnn's manu raju is getting reaction to the hegseth hearing. manu, what are you hearing from senators? >> it's very clear, wolf, that this could go down along party lines. you're hearing democratic senators sharply critical of this nomination is uncertain but unlikely. any democrat will actually vote to confirm pete hegseth, but he does not need democratic support. he needs republican support. he needs to limit defect

mr. hegseth confirmation. mr. illing pall on women who simply want to speak out about sexual misconduct or and should be and in and of themselves disqualifying. what do you make of that? we've had something like that. we've had thousands, 28,000 service members have experienced unwanted sexual contact. in 2023, 82% of them were women, 18% of them were men, eight 8515 reports of sexual assault involving service members are still active. should this man should the should the woman who was allegedly assaulted by him be allowed to testify in your view? or should she be protected somehow and allowed to testify? >> so that's that's the problem, my understanding. so there's an fbi report that was given to the top democrat and the top republican on the committee to read, but the rest of us were not allowed access to it. and remember that that fbi report is requested by the transition team. so it's requested by the trump transition team. and they have not interviewed any of the women with significant allegations against him

mr. hegseth background is deeply troubling.put it generously, let's hope we get real answers and real documentation before anyone votes for mr. hegseth for secretary of defense. >> senate democrats preparing for a showdown on capitol hill today with the first and one of the more controversial of donald trump's cabinet nominees appearing for his senate confirmation hearing. secretary of defense nominee pete hegseth likely to face tough questions this morning from members of the senate armed services committee over allegations ranging from sexual assault to excessive drinking in the workplace. some of those committees rank and file members, however, expressing frustration they weren't able to access the fbi's background check prior to today's hearing and saying the report doesn't appear to be thorough enough. >> i only know that some of the folks that have the women in his past, women in his life, have wanted to be interviewed, but have not been interviewed by the vetters. >> i am deeply concerned that there are facts that so far

mr. hegseth's strategy is to follow the five ds of dodgeball. dodge, dip, dive, and dodge. >> laura: this is unserious -- i'm serious former senate majority leader. he is reading his remarks. he can't even speak x burns heinously about the confirmation battle and that is the best he can do? >> what is unfortunate where was chuck schumer calling out the president of the united states president of the united states currently president biden who is on woefully fit to serve? is the one who has followed the five ds for the last four years his stat the white house openly covering the left media covering for him. where was the call out? the hypocrisy that runs to the democrat party is so thick it is laughable. what about rachel? the secretary inside of hhs who doesn't know her own pronoun or see them, the guy who worked in the department of energy who couldn't figure out his own luggage? it or if you want to talk about being unqualified, the heat has set, i'm sorry, pete buttigieg over the department of transportation, the gentleman who truly was a may

mr. hegseth's strategy is to follow the five d's of dodge ball, dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. >> laura: ha ha ha. this is unserious -- unserious former senate majority leader. is he reading his remarks. he can't even speak, you know, extemporaneously about such an important confirmation battle. and that's the best he can do? >> well, what's unfortunate is where was chuck schumer calling out the president of the united states currently? president biden who is woefully unfit to serve and. >> laura: you bet. >> he has followed the five d's by dodging reporters for the last four years that his staff at the white house openly covering the left media opening covering for him. where was the callout? the hypocrisy that runs through the democrat party is so thick it's laughable. i mean, what about rachel in the undersecretary inside of hhs who doesn't even know her own pronoun or sam the guy who worked in the department of energy who couldn't figure out his own luggage. or if you want to talk about being unqualified, pete hegseth, the -- not pete hegseth, i'm sorry. pete buttigieg, the gentlema

mr. hegseth, i do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job. >> thele neat someone who is ready to lead on day one. you are not that person. >> there are a lot of other things you can do very well, you're a capable person, but i'm not -- i do not -- you have not convinced me that you'll be able to take on this tremendous responsibility. maria: several senate republicans came to his defense. watch. >> i'm confident that mr. hegseth supported by a team of experienced top officials will get the job done. >> you've got a man who has literally put his button butt e line, he served 20 years in the service, multiple deployments, had heard the bullets crack over the top of his head, what over qualifications does he need? we need someone that will fight for innovation, fight for change. i think you're that person. maria: charles, it did get contentious at times. your thoughts on pete hegseth as defense secretary. >> let's be honest. the secretary of defense, the appointment of secretary of defense is largely symbolic of the president's intent as much as anythi

mr. hegseth will bring energy and fresh ideas to shake up the bureaucracy. >> reporter: democrats argued the 44-year-old isn't qualified for the demands of the job leading an agency of more than three million people with a budget of nearly $1 trillion, citing hegseth's handling of two veterans' nonprofits. >> by the time you left that organization had deep debts, including credit card transaction debts of about $75,000. >> reporter: they also went after hegseth's reported past abuse of alcohol and questioned allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault at a california hotel in 2017. >> i was falsely charged. fully investigated and completely cleared. >> reporter: lawmakers also zeroed in on these comments from just a few months before -- >> i'm straight up saying we should not have women in combat roles. >> will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles? >> yes, women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high. >> reporter: republican senator joni ernst, a onetime skeptic, now on board potentially paving the way for

mr. hegseth's best interests if he wants to be confirmed for this job for us to have all the information.> but he certainly has the qualities that we need to lead the pentagon. >> reporter: with republican senators holding 53 seats, majority whip john barrasso was asked on cbs' "face the nation" whether hegseth has the votes. >> every senator gets to speak for themselves, and they will do that. the meetings have gone very well. things are heading in the right direction. >> reporter: senator tommy tuberville of alabama is planning a rally monday afternoon with a group of navy s.e.a.l.s and veterans to try and rally support around hegseth ahead of his confirmation hearing. natalie brand, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> when "cbs news roundup" continues, we'll check the traffic on the streets of new york one week into the nation's first congestion pricing charge. stay with us. aj: multiple studies have shown that marijuana can slow both driver reaction and response time... which can be really dangerous! he's here, he's here! connor: wait, wait, wait! aj: what? connor: i can't drive. aj: what, wh

mr. hegseth was not thorough enough. n who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, which hegseth denies, was not interviewed by the fbi. there are omissions like that at the democrats have raised the alarm on. annita: thank you very much, liz goodwin, senate reporter from the washington post. a reminder that we will have live coverage of donald trump's inauguration with a special program from washington here on bbc news on monday the 20th of january. full coverage of that inauguration through the day as the oval office changes hands from president biden to president trump. let's circle back to that south korea story we were telling you about. a reminder that police there are trying to execute an arrest warrant for the impeached president yoon suk yeol who is inside the presidential compound. we understand pro-yoon supporters from the government have formed a human chain, so there is that prospect of different branches of the authorities facing off against one another, with the police on one side, announcer: funding for pre

mr. hegseth, one of the key members of the committee is republican senator joni ernst, a combat veteran and victim of sexual assault. >> she has promised to support hegseth through the confirmation process. but so far, little else. >> we have had very frank conversations, despite the numerous democratic attacks on pete hegseth, republicans are absolutely expressing confidence that he'll have the votes. >> senator tommy tuberville said he passed this with flying colors, and senator kevin cramer said he cemented the support of all of the republicans on that committee. it seems he's including senator joni ernst there. and if that's the case, then he likely has the support of the republicans on the committee and will get confirmed by the republicans in the full senate there. and that perhaps where that confidence right now is coming from, as well as from president elect donald trump's team. >> all right. cnn's oren liebermann, thank you so much. joining us now, the current republican congressman from florida. mike waltz, who will be president trump's national security advisor. first of all, con

mr. hegseth.hould we take it to believe that you believe that the two women on this committee who have served honorably and with distinction, made our military less effective and less capable? >> i'm incredibly grateful for the for the two women who've served our military in uniform and including in the central intelligence agency, contributions on the battlefield, an indispensable contribution. senator, i would like to clarify, when i'm talking about that issue, it's not about the capabilities of men and women. it's about standards. and this committee has talked a lot about standards and standards that we unfortunately, over time, have seen eroded in certain duty positions, certain schools, certain places, which affects readiness, which is what i care about the most. >> have standards eroded and have have standards eroded, particularly as they concern women in the military? >> you know, i think first of all, it should be noted that one of those women that was just referenced, senator tammy duckwo

mr. hegseth's best interests, if he wants to be confirmed for this job for us to have all the information>> he certainly has the qualities that we need to lead the pentagon -- >> reporter: with republican senators holding 53 seats, majority whip john barrasso was asked on "face the nation" whether hegseth has the votes. >> every senator gets to speak for themselves, and they will do that. the meetings have gone very well. things are heading in the right direction. >> reporter: senator tommy tuberville of alabama is planning a rally monday afternoon with a group of navy s.e.a.l.s and veterans to try and rally support around hegseth ahead of his confirmation hearing. natalie brand, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> vice president-elect j.d. vance is weighing in on pardons for those who took part in the january 6th riot at the u.s. capitol. during an interview on "fox news sunday," vance said people responsible for violence should not be pardoned. he added that those who protested peacefully should receive pardons. he also said there was a bit of a gray area in some cases. president-elect donald t

mr. hegseth background is deeply troubling. to put it generously. >> joining us now is a member of the senate armed services committee who will be questioning pete hegseth today, independent senator who caucuses with the democrats, maine senator angus king. senator, it's really good to see you again. thanks for coming in. blumenthal also said when he left the meeting, he's he has been told that there were significant gaps in the fbi background check on hegseth. he says he's been told because other than the chair and ranking, you guys haven't seen the background check. do you think there are gaps and is that a problem? >> i don't know because i haven't seen it. i think it should be made available to at least the members of the committee. we have a constitutional responsibility to advise and consent, and that means to analyze these candidates and to understand their backgrounds and all the issues that may be associated with their with their conduct, and particularly for this job. i mean, the standard has to be very high for secret

mr. hegseth is not qualified to be secretary of defense. he couldn't even answer some of my very basic questions about our alliances in the indo-pacific region. and he, you know, made it clear that he'd never let an audit, for example, even though he says he wants to audit the pentagon, and yet he never in fact, he never let an audit in any of the businesses that he ran before. and in fact, he's so badly mismanaged the finances of the not for profits he ran that they had to bring in a forensic accountant to figure out what all that he messed up. and now this man wants to run an $825 billion budget. >> i want to play that exchange you had about, because i think if you're just looking at, does this guy have the resume? like, does he pass the resume test if you were sorting resumes, you were sitting in an office like you got an open position, you got a bunch like, oh no. does he even make it into the we should interview him pile? here's here's the exchange you had about whether he'd ever let an audit. take a listen. >> yes or no? have you led

mr. hegseth. i hardly think you are prepared to do the job tonight. >> illinois senator tammy duckworth, on today's bruising hearing for pete hegseth. >> how can we ask these warriors to train and perform the absolute highest standards when you are asking us to lower the standards to make you the secretary of defense? >> then house democratic leader hakeem jeffries, on loyal opposition in the new congress. >> and jen psaki joins me with her exclusive interview with california governor gavin newsom on the fires burning in his state and the misinformation making it harder to fight them. >> but somehow, there's a magical spigot in california, northern california that just can be turned on. >> and all of a sudden there will be rain or water flowing everywhere. >> it's not helpful when all in starts right now. >> good evening from new york. >> i'm chris hayes. >> i want you to mentally bracket out for a second. >> the very serious allegations of sexual assault against pete hegseth, the man donald trump

mr. hegseth is born out of right wing grievances that have been building for a long time over the failures of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. the accusations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, which mr. hegseth has denied, also converged with other maga interests, including being unburdened by woke social mores. what kind of military emerges from this worldview? presumably one that seeks to roll back the social and cultural changes of recent decades within its ranks, disrupting cohesion and devaluing diversity as a source of strength. a maga military. >> joining me now is ben rhodes, of course, former deputy national security advisor under president obama. >> ben, i feel like this is such essential reading because we're obviously talking about one aspect of pete hegseth nomination. but you you put into context and a longer historical lens how hegseth is kind of the fruition of nearly 20 years of conservative grievance starting after nine over 11. can you put that into a finer point on that, on that for people who haven't yet read this great op ed? >> yeah, i mean, the quick versio