Zürcher Nachrichten - Trump's Pentagon pick grilled by senators as cabinet hearings begin

EUR -
AED 3.788787
AFN 75.670591
ALL 98.34174
AMD 413.585822
ANG 1.858934
AOA 942.290563
ARS 1074.025128
AUD 1.665879
AWG 1.856722
AZN 1.757666
BAM 1.957626
BBD 2.082643
BDT 125.326914
BGN 1.964464
BHD 0.387461
BIF 3051.846982
BMD 1.031512
BND 1.409615
BOB 7.127649
BRL 6.272301
BSD 1.031462
BTN 89.2943
BWP 14.406439
BYN 3.375649
BYR 20217.640464
BZD 2.071933
CAD 1.493785
CDF 2924.337655
CHF 0.944243
CLF 0.0379
CLP 1045.765565
CNY 7.555869
CNH 7.573126
COP 4482.881954
CRC 517.082371
CUC 1.031512
CUP 27.335075
CVE 110.367959
CZK 25.379216
DJF 183.681351
DKK 7.49456
DOP 63.178938
DZD 139.880491
EGP 51.80733
ERN 15.472684
ETB 129.231256
FJD 2.404562
FKP 0.84954
GBP 0.847534
GEL 2.929898
GGP 0.84954
GHS 15.369338
GIP 0.84954
GMD 74.788612
GNF 8917.318714
GTQ 7.963429
GYD 215.801315
HKD 8.031788
HNL 26.238477
HRK 7.612094
HTG 134.655616
HUF 414.802428
IDR 16896.841442
ILS 3.673236
IMP 0.84954
INR 89.304726
IQD 1351.260553
IRR 43426.66687
ISK 146.124426
JEP 0.84954
JMD 162.972032
JOD 0.73145
JPY 161.232629
KES 133.574608
KGS 90.206144
KHR 4164.885303
KMF 494.249499
KPW 928.361156
KRW 1504.337258
KWD 0.318294
KYD 0.859602
KZT 547.200468
LAK 22501.99147
LBP 92368.768206
LKR 305.76524
LRD 195.982827
LSL 19.311515
LTL 3.045788
LVL 0.623952
LYD 5.099757
MAD 10.362667
MDL 19.474167
MGA 4835.510911
MKD 61.592458
MMK 3350.311611
MNT 3505.078799
MOP 8.272517
MRU 40.980229
MUR 48.337055
MVR 15.890487
MWK 1788.568505
MXN 21.436837
MYR 4.648034
MZN 65.924338
NAD 19.311515
NGN 1602.299971
NIO 37.955408
NOK 11.828078
NPR 142.871281
NZD 1.848274
OMR 0.395739
PAB 1.031462
PEN 3.876917
PGK 4.194913
PHP 60.389925
PKR 287.461565
PLN 4.267481
PYG 8125.580123
QAR 3.761209
RON 4.998506
RSD 117.210342
RUB 105.698603
RWF 1436.540108
SAR 3.870135
SBD 8.734854
SCR 15.528425
SDG 619.939223
SEK 11.550854
SGD 1.411732
SHP 0.84954
SLE 23.498232
SLL 21630.296434
SOS 589.449881
SRD 36.159702
STD 21350.221344
SVC 9.02542
SYP 13411.722501
SZL 19.307011
THB 35.598559
TJS 11.258603
TMT 3.620608
TND 3.318095
TOP 2.415909
TRY 36.672582
TTD 7.003533
TWD 33.957763
TZS 2609.634454
UAH 43.428713
UGX 3800.545421
USD 1.031512
UYU 45.452401
UZS 13375.477604
VES 56.78199
VND 26128.205763
VUV 122.463208
WST 2.889087
XAF 656.569495
XAG 0.034004
XAU 0.000382
XCD 2.787714
XDR 0.795042
XOF 656.569495
XPF 119.331742
YER 257.104808
ZAR 19.330112
ZMK 9284.851931
ZMW 28.649727
ZWL 332.14653
  • SCS

    0.1400

    11.7

    +1.2%

  • BCE

    0.3300

    23.15

    +1.43%

  • NGG

    0.3800

    59.53

    +0.64%

  • GSK

    -0.0100

    33.43

    -0.03%

  • RIO

    1.3100

    61.1

    +2.14%

  • CMSC

    0.0500

    23.25

    +0.22%

  • JRI

    0.0600

    12.38

    +0.48%

  • BCC

    -0.4900

    127.97

    -0.38%

  • CMSD

    0.0900

    23.59

    +0.38%

  • RBGPF

    60.0400

    60.04

    +100%

  • AZN

    -0.3100

    66.6

    -0.47%

  • RELX

    0.2600

    48.17

    +0.54%

  • RYCEF

    0.0200

    7.14

    +0.28%

  • BTI

    0.4100

    36.3

    +1.13%

  • VOD

    0.0000

    8.48

    0%

  • BP

    -0.0900

    31.69

    -0.28%

Trump's Pentagon pick grilled by senators as cabinet hearings begin
Trump's Pentagon pick grilled by senators as cabinet hearings begin / Photo: SAUL LOEB - AFP

Trump's Pentagon pick grilled by senators as cabinet hearings begin

Controversial Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth faced tough questions from senators Tuesday about his views on women serving in combat and his qualifications to lead the Defense Department as confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet picks get underway.

Text size:

Senate Republicans are keen for Trump's national security nominees to be confirmed quickly and Democrats may agree to fast-track some, but they are determined to throw up roadblocks in front of candidates they see as unfit.

Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and ex-Fox News host, was grilled by Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, but Republicans largely signaled support.

He stuck to his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying they are "dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells, not putting meritocracy first."

But he sought to soften past remarks on women serving in combat -- something he stated as recently as November 2024 that he opposed.

"I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform past and present. My critiques... recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I've seen standards lowered," Hegseth told lawmakers.

"Women will have access to ground combat roles... given the standards remain high," the 44-year-old said.

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth -- who lost both legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq -- was unconvinced.

"There is no US military as we know it without the incredible women that we serve, women who've earned their place in their units," Duckworth said. "You have not earned your place as secretary of defense."

Hegseth has also come under fire for concerns about his past personal conduct, as well as his ability to lead the Pentagon -- a massive bureaucracy that employs more than three million people.

He admitted under questioning that he had previously overseen "nothing remotely near the size of the Defense Department."

- 'Not a perfect person' -

Senator Jack Reed, the committee's ranking Democrat, put it bluntly: "Mr Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job."

"We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you. 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 harassment, and other troubling issues," Reed said.

Asked by Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the committee chair, about allegations Hegseth has faced, the nominee claimed there was a "coordinated smear campaign" against him.

"I'm not a perfect person, but redemption is real," Hegseth said, later asserting he was "falsely accused" of sexual assault and dismissing accounts of alcohol abuse as "anonymous smears."

He can only afford three Republican rejections and still be confirmed, should every Democrat and independent vote against him.

But he has maintained Trump's support while the excoriating headlines have multiplied, and Senate Republicans appear open to hearing him out.

Former Democratic congresswoman turned Trumpist Tulsi Gabbard, who was tapped for director of national intelligence, is another candidate whose lack of qualifications and experience have raised alarm bells, as have her attitudes toward US adversaries.

Some pressure on the nominees is expected from both sides of the aisle, especially for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for secretary of health and human services and an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist.

But US senator and foreign policy hawk Marco Rubio of Florida, Trump's pick for secretary of state, is a sure bet with bipartisan support, and will likely be confirmed before Trump takes office on January 20.

Rubio gets his hearing Wednesday, along with homeland security secretary nominee Kristi Noem, attorney general nominee Pam Bondi and CIA pick John Ratcliffe, who has been confirmed by the Senate before as director of national intelligence.

Some of the most potentially fiery hearings are yet to be scheduled, including for Kennedy and Kash Patel, a conspiracy theorist who is Trump's nominee to run the FBI.

U.Ammann--NZN