What to know about Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing
- Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to lead the Defense Department, will face senators at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday morning, where he is expected to face questions over allegations of sexual assault and his readiness to lead the Pentagon.
- The hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee gets underway at 9:30 a.m. ET. Watch live in the player above and follow live updates below.
- Hegseth is one of the first of Trump’s Cabinet picks to appear for a Senate committee hearing, and his questioning is expected to be the most contentious on the schedule.
- The former Fox News host has faced intense scrutiny over his personal life, his level of experience and his controversial stances. A handful of Republicans have expressed concern about Hegseth’s ability to lead the Pentagon.
- Democrats are expected to grill Hegseth over a 2017 police report in which a woman said Hegseth sexually assaulted her. Hegseth said the encounter was consensual and was never charged.
- With a 53-seat majority and only a simple majority needed, a number of Trump’s Cabinet picks are expected to sail to confirmation. But for more controversial picks like Hegseth, just a few defectors could derail the process. Republicans are racing to get Trump’s team approved soon after his return to the White House next week.
Pete Hegseth faces Senate confirmation hearing
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to serve as secretary of defense, will face a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. Despite a Republican majority, he still faces a bumpy road to confirmation. Nancy Cordes reports.
Duckworth, Kelly write Military Times op-ed against Hegseth
Two Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Mark Kelly, penned an op-ed in Military Times on Tuesday saying Hegseth it is “extremely unclear” that Hegseth is the person to lead the Pentagon.
“One quick glance at his resume and concerns over his lack of experience and qualifications become obvious,” they wrote.
Duckworth and Kelly are both combat veterans, and they note that “military experiences aren’t requirements for the job, but his civilian leadership experience is not just limited, it is also fraught with evidence that he is not an effective or trusted leader.”
They listed what they consider some of the troubling aspects of Hegseth’s biography, including that he allegedly “financially mismanaged two veterans political organizations” and that his staff there said he “misused funds, was frequently drunk in front of them and fostered an environment where sexual harassment was an issue.”
Duckworth and Kelly note that Hegseth “will have the chance to answer for all of this at his confirmation hearing, along with the opportunity to share what, if any, views he has on the critical programs and decisions that will be awaiting the next person to have this job.” But they write that “as of right now, the only defense policies he has made clear are his beliefs that our military’s diversity is a weakness, not a strength, and that women should not serve in combat” — positions they describe as “not just wrong, but dangerous.”
“The reality is that the world is too dangerous of a place, and our service members’ lives too precious, to lower the bar,” they write.
Hegseth to field questions on first day of Trump picks’ confirmation hearings
Hegseth is one of around a dozen Trump nominees who will face senators over the next few days.
Former Rep. Doug Collins, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who Trump tapped to be interior secretary, were both set to appear before Senate committees on Tuesday, but their appearances were postponed.
Wednesday plans to be a busy day for confirmation hearings, with seven nominees set to appear. Those include Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state; Pam Bondi, Trump’s selection for attorney general; and Gov. Kristi Noem, the nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Read the full schedule of Trump confirmation hearings here.
Who is Pete Hegseth?
Hegseth, 44, grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Princeton University in 2003. He served in the Army National Guard in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay and retired in 2021 at the rank of major, having earned two Bronze Stars for his service.
Hegseth has authored a number of books and went on to lead two veterans advocacy organizations. He received a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.
He was a contributor on Fox News beginning in 2014, and took up co-hosting duties on the weekend edition of “Fox and Friends” in 2017.
Trump, upon selecting Hegseth for the top post at the Pentagon, called him a “Warrior for the Troops,” adding that “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First.” Trump allies have billed Hegseth as a leader with a focus on lethality and first-hand combat experience who can move the Pentagon away from so-called “woke” personnel policies pursued under the Biden administration.
Hegseth married Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet in 2019, following divorces in 2009 and 2017. He has four biological children and is a stepfather to three children.
The defense secretary pick has faced cascading scrutiny regarding his personal life, his level of experience and controversial stances, including that women should not serve combat roles in the U.S. military.
What is Pete Hegseth accused of?
Hegseth has faced intense scrutiny over an alleged sexual assault, along with allegations of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement of a veterans organizations. Hegseth has denied the allegations.
Shortly after Trump announced his pick in November, an attorney for Hegseth acknowledged that he had secretly paid a financial settlement to a woman who had accused him of sexually assaulting her at a Republican women’s banquet at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, California, in 2017.
A police report released in November in response to public records requests detailed the incident, where the alleged victim, an unnamed woman, told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her. The woman said that Hegseth took her phone, blocked the door to a hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to the investigative report. Hegseth told police the interaction was consensual and claimed he checked multiple times to make sure the woman was comfortable with the encounter.
Hegseth has also drawn criticism for allegations surrounding his exit from Concerned Veterans of America, leaving the organization amid allegations of financial mismanagement, repeated incidents of intoxication and sexual impropriety.
Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee are expected to hammer Hegseth over the allegations during Tuesday’s hearing, while Hegseth looks to reassure a handful of Republicans who have expressed concern about the allegations as they weigh his confirmation.
How to watch Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing
- What: Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearing
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025
- Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill
- Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above and on the CBS News app on your mobile or streaming device.
Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
