“The candidate for the US defense secretary did not mention Ukraine in his speech and faced a barrage of criticism January 15, 06:27 Share: Pete Hegseth (Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein) During the hearing in the US Senate, the candidate for the position of the secretary of defense Pete Hegseth from Donald Trump faced a barrage of criticism and a series of questions. This is reported by NBC. Yes, the candidate’s introductory speech was interrupted three times by protesters. Protection”, — write on: ua.news
Pete Hegseth (Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
During hearings in the US Senate, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced a flurry of criticism and a series of questions.
This is reported by NBC.
Yes, the candidate’s introductory speech was interrupted three times by protesters. Security took them out of the hall.
After the challenger’s speech, Sen. Angus King of Maine expressed concern that Hegseth never once mentioned Ukraine or Russia in his speech.
“Is this a hint that we are going to abandon Ukraine?” King asked.
Hegseth replied that “this is a political decision at the presidential level” and that Trump “made it very clear that he would like to put an end to this conflict.”
“We know who the aggressor is. We know who the good guy is. We would like it to be as beneficial as possible for Ukrainians. But this war must end,” the candidate for the post of Pentagon chief added.
In a Senate Armed Services Committee questionnaire that Hegseth filled out before the hearing, he suggested that the U.S. should deter Russia from acting against U.S. interests, but did not answer questions about the importance of the U.S. continuing to provide military support to Ukraine.
“If confirmed, I will ensure that the Ministry of Defense plays a key role in intergovernmental efforts to support the special representative of the president on Ukraine and Russia,” he wrote in the questionnaire.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran, criticized Hagseth for his lack of experience and wrong answers to some of her questions.
In particular, in response to questions related to the Asia-Pacific region and which countries are part of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) the candidate named South Korea, Japan and Australia.
“None of these three countries you mentioned are part of ASEAN. You say you care about keeping our Armed Forces strong and that you like the meritocracy of our Armed Forces. Then let’s not lower the standards for you. You, sir, do not belong here,” Duckworth emphasized.
On November 13, 2024, US President-elect Donald Trump announced that he plans to nominate Fox News anchor and veteran Pete Hagseth as US Secretary of Defense.
Current and former Pentagon officials were shocked by the future appointment of Hegset as the head of the Ministry of Defense, because he had never managed a large structure, Politico wrote on November 14.
On November 15, The Guardian newspaper reported that two of Trump’s associates may not get their jobs because of allegations of sexual harassment. They were about Defense Secretary Presumptive Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Nominee Matt Goetze.
In 2017, police in California investigated a case of alleged sexual assault by Hegseth, although no formal charges were ever filed.
According to the AP, in his latest book, Hegseth claimed that the US Army “weakened’ by the implementation of equality, inclusion and diversity, and what “the next commander-in-chief will have to put things in order.”
He also mocked transgender military personnel and claimed that allowing women to serve in combat units was allegedly “complicates hostilities.” In 2019, Hegseth actively lobbied for pardons for US military accused of war crimes, which was eventually granted by Donald Trump.