The Republican-led U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth, Pres. Donald Trump’s controversial nominee for secretary of defense, on Friday, despite the efforts of Hawaii's two Democratic senators. 


What You Need To Know

  • U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz were among the 45 Democrats and two Independents opposing the former Fox News host’s nomination. They were joined by Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to make it an even split of the vote. Ultimately, Vice President JD Vance broke the tie with an affirmative vote for Hegseth
  • Hegseth survived a contentious confirmation process
  • A day before the vote, Schatz took to the Senate floor to implore colleagues not to confirm Hegseth, citing his lack of qualifications
  • Following Hegseth’s confirmation, Hirono remained unconciliatory, calling Hegseth “alarmingly unfit and unqualified to lead the Department of Defense”

U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz were among the 45 Democrats and two Independents opposing the former Fox News host’s nomination. They were joined by Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to make it an even split of the vote. Ultimately, Vice President JD Vance broke the tie with an affirmative vote for Hegseth.

“It is the privilege of a lifetime to lead the warriors of the Department of Defense, under the leadership of our Commander in Chief Donald J. Trump,” Hegseth in a message to U.S. Armed Forces members released on Saturday. “We will put America first, and we will never back down. The president gave us a clear mission: achieve peace through strength. We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and reestablishing deterrence.”

Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard after graduating from Princeton University in 2003. He participated in multiple active-duty deployments during his time in service, including operations in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth also served in multiple staff positions in the National Guard. His military awards include two bronze star medals, the joint commendation medal, two Army commendation medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Expert Infantryman Badge. He has also authored five books, including last year’s best-selling The War on Warriors.

Hegseth survived a contentious confirmation process, which included a seven-minute, rapid-fire grilling by Hirono that raised concerns about his alleged alcohol abuse on and off the job, a 2017 sexual harassment suit that resulted in a $50,000 settlement to the alleged victim, and whether he would obey the president if he was asked to mobilize troops for illegal operations.

A day before the vote, Schatz took to the Senate floor to implore colleagues not to confirm Hegseth, citing his lack of qualifications.

“The Pentagon is not a cable news set where you can roll up on a Saturday and say clever things,” Schatz said. “You can’t improv your way out of global conflicts. The people who lace up and go into battle deserve better than that. They deserve someone who understands the world in all of its complexities and recognizes the weight of their decisions, especially when the chips are down. Pete Hegseth is not that person.”

Schatz noted that as secretary of defense, Hegseth would be in charge of nearly 3 million employees and oversee a budget of about $800 billion.

“But his only management experience to date is running two very small veterans organizations with, let’s just say, mixed results,” Schatz said, referencing Hegseth’s time leading Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for American.

Hegseth left both organizations amid allegations of sexual harassment, personal misconduct and mismanagement. Hegseth has previously argued that the allegations were unfounded and politically motivated.

Schatz said Hegseth was nominated by the president based solely on his fidelity to the president not his knowledge, experience or leadership abilities. He said “alarmed” when during his confirmation hearing Hegseth was unable to name a single member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and later avoided answering whether he would carry out an illegal order from the president, such as firing on American citizens protesting the government.

“There are a lot of close calls when you're defense secretary, but whether or not to turn the military on the public, even if they are Democrats, is not a close call,” Schatz said. “That’s a simple, ‘No, I wouldn’t do that. I will not carry out an illegal order. No, the United States military is not in existence for the purpose of carrying out orders against United States citizens exercising their constitutional rights.’”

Following Hegseth’s confirmation, Hirono remained unconciliatory, calling Hegseth “alarmingly unfit and unqualified to lead the Department of Defense.”

“His personal misconduct alone is disqualifying,” she said in a statement released on Friday. “He has been credibly accused of sexual assault, and refused to say whether he’s ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to such misconduct. He has a long history of drinking alcohol to excess, including at work, and refused to meaningfully commit to not drinking if confirmed.”

Hirono reiterated concerns about Hegseth’s lack of experience in leading a large organization and “questionable judgement.”

“Since he was nominated, Mr. Hegseth has tried to walk back disgraceful statements he has made over the years disparaging women in the military, LGBTQ servicemembers, Muslim-Americans, and his perceived political foes,” she said. “That might work for a Fox News host, but as secretary of defense, it does not.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.