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Pete Hegseth Faces Senate Armed Services Committee

Pete Hegseth Faces Senate Armed Services Committee

This might be the most contentious nomination hearing.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, has his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) chairs the committee. Notable Democrats who should…well, yeah:

  • Mazie Hirono (HI)
  • Elizabeth Warren (MA)
  • Tammy Duckworth (IL)

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has been a Republican who has shown resistance.

Sen. Duckworth Fails at Her “Gotcha” on ASEAN

Someone tell Duckworth that ASEAN is an economic alliance, not military.

Sen. Kaine Tries to Make Hegseth Sound Like a Wife Beater?

Hypothetical. Also, someone get Kaine a comb.

Sen. Hirono Puts Words Into His Mouth

I…what?!

Da Nang Dick has Thoughts

Sen. Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal doesn’t think Hegseth can lead the Pentagon.

Women in Military

Hegseth explained his comments even though all of us with common sense knew what he meant:

Jag Off

Yes, this happened.

Protestors

Oh, look. Code Pink is there.

Hegseth’s Opening Statement

Hegseth released his opening statement.

A few excerpts:

1. Restore the Warrior Ethos to the Pentagon and throughout our fighting force; in doing so, we will reestablish trust in our military — and address the recruiting, retention and readiness crisis in our ranks. The strength of our military is our unity — our shared purpose — not our differences.

2. Rebuild our Military, always matching threats to capabilities; this includes reviving our defense industrial base, reforming the acquisition process (no more “Valley of Death” for new defense companies), modernizing our nuclear triad, ensuring the Pentagon can pass an audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.

3. Reestablish Deterrence. First and foremost, we will defend our homeland — our borders and our skies. Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the communist Chinese. Finally, we will responsibly end wars to ensure we can prioritize our resources — and reorient to larger threats. We can no longer count on “reputational deterrence” — we need real deterrence.

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Comments

I can and completely understand a principled resistance to a nominee’s confirmation, I do not tolerate a vindictive, partisan and personal attacks on a person, based upon political differences (read Party).

    joejoejoe in reply to Romey. | January 14, 2025 at 10:54 am

    No understanding on my part. D deserves the team wishes. Unless one is a brennnann which there are none of those

    Ghostrider in reply to Romey. | January 14, 2025 at 11:19 am

    Absolutely. Democrats are purposely instructed to attack, humiliate, and destroy the person because, in their political beliefs, the ends justify the means.

    Ironclaw in reply to Romey. | January 14, 2025 at 3:19 pm

    Since when have you ever known the Communists to be principled about anything?

Hegseth is definitely not a “Postwar Consensus” kind of guy.

Wow, Reed attack is Pete used the word JAG OFF! Oh, he got him on that one.

    AF_Chief_Master_Sgt in reply to MarkSmith. | January 14, 2025 at 11:38 am

    I worked with a lot of JAG OFFs in my career, in and out of the JAG Corps (or as Obama states, Corpse).

    It is an apt term at times.

    Hirono is an idiot.

    Blumenthal is an idiot.

Watching this hearing has reinforced my belief that if it weren’t for the primary power of Trump – which has been potentiated by his new alliance with Musk – I’m not sure Hegseth would get 25 votes in the Senate. There are a shocking and terrifying number of GOP Senators who really are Democrats…several are reasonably progressive Democrats. Hegseth is going to have his work cut out for him once confirmed as most of the Senate will be working behind the scenes to scuttle him and his policy initiatives.

    AF_Chief_Master_Sgt in reply to TargaGTS. | January 14, 2025 at 11:40 am

    True. But this also applies to the entire Trump Administration. Many in Congress salivate at the chance to destroy his presidency.

      Correct. But, they do seem – collectively – particularly keen on blocking ANY reforms at DoD and the other NatSec alphabets as well as DoJ. I bet if you did a forensic audit of the loudest anti-Hegseth voices, you’ll find the Chicom cash.

El d onaldo deserves the team he desires, even if a couple are suspect (not pheGg…. EMAIL CALL YOUR SENATORS. NOW

Kirsten Gillibrand has been a US Senator from NY since 2009. Her lines of questioning were intentionally inflammatory and predicated on gender and sexual orientation. No one is saying women shouldn’t serve in the military. She is an excellent example of why our military has denigrated and has lost combat readiness under the Obama and Biden regimes.

    AF_Chief_Master_Sgt in reply to Ghostrider. | January 14, 2025 at 11:42 am

    If these Senators believe women should be in “combat” roles, then make them eligible for the draft, and refuse student loans for those who don’t register.

Unrelated but Pardon them all, unless fBi or blm/sds/antifa

If there is a more powerful argument about increasing the selectivity of people we allow into the country than Mazie Hirono herself, I can’t imagine what that argument is. Her father fought in WWII….for the Japanese Imperial Army. She’s an apple that didn’t fall far from her paternal tree.

    Milhouse in reply to TargaGTS. | January 14, 2025 at 7:34 pm

    Her father was a Japanese citizen, why wouldn’t he fight for his country? What has that got to do with her? Would you say the same if her father had been a German citizen who had fought in the German army?

    Also, she never saw her father since she was three, so whatever character flaws he had would have had no influence on her.

    Also, she wasn’t “allowed” into the country; she came in by right, because her mother was an American citizen. Under the law at the time she didn’t automatically become a citizen herself; I think that change in the law came in the mid-1950s. But as a returning citizen’s minor child she had the right to enter.

AF_Chief_Master_Sgt | January 14, 2025 at 11:49 am

I wonder if Tim Kaine has dipped his wick in anyone he wasn’t married to. Perhaps we should have the perv list released to see if Tim Kaine had any of his sexual peccadilloes paid for.

Wouldn’t raping a congressional page be disqualifying to be a senator? Unsubstantiated. But he needs to show he didn’t, using the same rules he is applying today.

    AF_Chief_Master_Sgt in reply to AF_Chief_Master_Sgt. | January 14, 2025 at 12:20 pm

    OK Timmy. If these aren’t anonymous, publicly state their names now, during the hearings, go ahead.

    But you won’t, because you are a liar.

    And how about that drunk man’s nose of yours. Did YOU have an snoot full this morning?

    What “wick?” How do you know that Timmy hasn’t “transitioned” to female genitalia? Doing so is all the rage and the ultimate status symbol, in Dhimmi-crat circles.

The petulant d/prog are behaving like the ‘crazy Ex’. Hell hath no fury like a wokiesta scorned.

Oh my God, listening to the despicable harridan and poser, Fauxcahontas, ask Hesgeth an attempted “gotcha” question, and then obnoxiously and rudely interrupt him, while he speaks in reply, is more than I can take.

Senator Reed is a jag-off. His question at least proved instructive, in that regard.

This garbage on the committee needs to understand its advise and consent he’s not running for their vote

    Ghostrider in reply to 2smartforlibs. | January 14, 2025 at 1:00 pm

    The committee is pure garbage. They are ignoring advise and consent to make ad hominem attacks instead. It’s a Kavanaugh confirmation hearing all over again. The American people didn’t vote for this, but the Democrats, give them credit, are damn good at smearing their political opponents.

      guyjones in reply to Ghostrider. | January 14, 2025 at 1:03 pm

      Yeah, the vile Dhimmi-crats are good at smearing opponents — they’ve been “Borking” political and federal court appointees since 1987, at least.

The behavior of the crazy Dems in this hearing is…crazy. I hope Republicans remember this the next time a Dem president is looking to get someone confirmed. We can’t have comity in the Senate only apply to hearings where Dems are looking to get confirmed. This is a bare-knuckles brawl and Republican should respond in-kind at the first chance they get.

    Paddy M in reply to TargaGTS. | January 14, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    They won’t. Just look at Ernst being more worried about her Grrrrrl Power nonsense than having an effective and lethal military. She knows that women do not belong in combat, and she has seen the numerous studies that show mixed-sex combat units have significantly decreased effectiveness. Yet, here she is using her limited time to potentially justify a no vote. Needless to say, Ernst had no issue voting to confirm numerous incompetents put forth by Brandon.

    We GOP voters must vote in primaries and oust incumbents such as McConnell, Ernst, Cornyn, Lankford, etc. That’s the only way Republicans will respond in-kind.

Would you use the military to take over Greenland or an ally?

The only valid answer to that question is: “If the president were to order it, certainly”. No other answer should be acceptable.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has nothing to do with America, and has nothing to do with the military. Why did Duckworth ask about it? Is it a gotcha attempt showing Duckworth’s ignorance?

There’s SEATO but that was dissolved in 1977. The Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty apparently still remains in force, but the only Southeast Asia members were the Philippines and Thailand. Australia and New Zealand are also members, but not part of Asia, Pakistan is part of Asia and a member but signed before Bangladesh gained its independence. Not sure if that means Bangladesh is or is not a member. Likely not but …

Deus vult 1095