Four takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s contentious Senate hearing

Published January 14, 2025 5:19pm ET



Pete Hegseth spent several hours in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where Republicans largely praised his nomination, and Democrats questioned his fitness for the position of secretary of defense.

The former Fox News host promised to be a “change agent” for a department that he argued, like many Republicans have, has strayed from its mission of lethality and defending U.S. interests abroad. Republicans on the committee defended and praised his nomination and President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul the Department of Defense, while Democrats grilled him over concerns that his past disqualifies him from the role.

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