The Democratic senator. Tammy Duckworth said Sunday that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, is “completely wrong” in that he believes women should not serve in the military in combat roles.
“Our military could not fight war without the women who wear this uniform,” Duckworth said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “And frankly, America’s daughters are just as capable of standing up for liberty and freedom as their sons.”
Asset exploited Hegsetha former Fox News host and Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to lead the Department of Defense earlier this month. The 44-year-old has been criticized for his stance on women in combat roles, as well as his level of experience.
Duckworth, who was deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and was seriously injured when her helicopter was hit by an RPG, stressed that women who serve in combat roles meet the same standards as men, passing rigorous tests. She said Hegseth’s position “simply shows his lack of understanding of where our military is,” while claiming he is “grossly unqualified for this position.”
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“Our military could not fight war without the more than 220,000 women who serve in uniform,” Duckworth said. She added that having women in the military “makes us more effective, more deadly.”
Hegseth has also attracted attention recently details discovered regarding an investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2017. Hegseth denies the allegation and called the incident a consensual encounter. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges because none were “supported by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.” His lawyer has recognized that Hegseth had paid a confidential financial settlement to the woman, fearing the allegation would jeopardize his job.
Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said it was “truly troubling” that Trump would nominate someone who “admitted to paying a victim who alleged allegations of rape against him.
“This is not the type of person you want to lead the Ministry of Defense,” she added.
The comments come after Trump announced a series of picks for his administration’s top posts in recent days. Meanwhile, one pick — former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general — has already withdrew his name after facing scrutiny amid a House Ethics Committee investigation and of a tenuous path to Senate confirmation.
While Duckworth acknowledged she was happy that Senate Republicans “held the line” on Gaetz and also elected Sen. John Thune to lead a candidate favored by many in Trump’s orbit, she said she was “deeply concerned” that her Republican colleagues would green light Trump’s nominees. .
“From what I hear from my Republican colleagues on everything from Secretary of Defense to other positions, it seems they are ready to rally around Mr. Trump,” he said. Duckworth said.
But Duckworth herself did not rule out supporting some of the nominees during the Senate confirmation process, pledging to evaluate each nominee based on their ability to do the job and their willingness to put the needs of the people first. American before “a campaign of retaliation for” Mr. Trump.”
Meanwhile, a CBS News survey released Sunday, found that 33% of Americans believe Hegseth is a “good choice” for defense secretary, including 64% of Trump voters. But 39% of Americans said they haven’t heard enough about it yet. More generally, Americans generally say they want Trump to appoint people who will express their opinions and who have experience in the field or agency they will lead.
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who also appeared Sunday on “Face the Nation”said he believed Hegseth could lead the massive Defense Department, despite his lack of experience running a large organization. Although he did not respond to Hegseth’s comments about women in combat roles, Paul said he believed the “vast majority of people” supported leaders chosen based on merit, citing criticism from Hegseth on the Pentagon for what he says is a shift away from merit. towards hiring based on “racial characteristics”.
