WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) accused senators of drinking while working during defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing Tuesday in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Mullin, who has positioned himself as a weapon in President-elect Donald Trump’s Congressional arsenal, defended Hegseth during the contentious hearing, which was the first of 14 scheduled this week.
This story was reported by Gaylord News, a Washington reporting project of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma.
“Sen. (Tim) Kaine — or I guess I better use the senator from Virginia — starts bringing up the fact that, ‘What if you showed up drunk for your job?’ How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?” Mullin said. “How many senators do you know have got a divorce for cheating on their wives?”
As Hegseth met with senators on Capitol Hill to shore up support for his confirmation vote, numerous news outlets reported that Hegseth has a drinking problem. The Washington Post reported that colleagues had seen him drunk at work during his time at Fox News.
In light of the allegations, Hegseth promised senators he would quit drinking if confirmed as defense secretary.
During the hearing, Hegseth faced criticism over alleged sexual misconduct, his qualifications, comments on women in the military and his commitment to military alliances.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) questioned Hegseth for his reported infidelity, particularly his relationship with his now-wife Jennifer Rauchet. In 2017, while married to his second wife, Samantha Deering, Hegseth conceived a child with Rauchet, who was a Fox News executive producer.
That same year, Hegseth has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman. Hegseth later paid the woman not to file a complaint. Hegseth has maintained the encounter was consensual.
Kaine went on to ask Hegseth if someone with sexual assault allegations should be disqualified from becoming secretary of defense.
Hegseth declined to answer the question directly.
“Senator, I know in my instance, and I’m talking about my instance only, it was a false claim,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth was also hammered for his qualifications and allegations of financial mismanagement. From 2008 to 2016, Hegseth led two small nonprofits, both of which faced financial issues. From 2008 to 2010, revenues at Veterans for Freedom, which Hegseth led, decreased from $8.7 million to $265,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tax filings from his time at Concerned Veterans for America show the organization spent more than it raised in three of five years under his leadership.
“By the time you left, that organization (Concerned Veterans for America) had deep debts,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said. “That isn’t the kind of fiscal management we want at the Department of Defense, we can’t tolerate it at the Department of Defense.”
Hegseth was further questioned on the number of people he has had under his leadership, his experience driving innovation and the topic of acquisition reform.
“I don’t think there’s a board of directors in America that would hire you as a CEO with the kind of experience you have on your resume,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). “You talk about standards, you talk about we have a problem of standards in DOD, and we have to raise standards for the men and women who serve. Do you think the way to raise the minimum standards of the people who serve us is to lower the standards for the secretary of defense?”
After Peters bluntly stated his opposition to Hegseth’s confirmation, Mullin raced to his defense again.
“There’s a lot about qualifications,” Mullin said. “I think it’s so hypocritical of senators, especially on the other side of the aisle, to be talking about his qualifications.”
Asked about women serving in combat roles by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) — who served in the Iraq War as a member of the Iowa Army National Guard — Hegseth walked back previous comments opposing the practice.
“Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high,” Hegseth said.
Mullin stated before this week’s hearings that he would support all of Trump’s nominees, and he has been especially vocal about supporting Hegseth. According to Mullin, Hegseth’s experience in uniform coupled with his business background will “bring a fresh, mission-focused perspective to the Pentagon.”
Additionally, Mullin posited before the hearing that attacks on Hegseth’s character were coming from media and were not especially helpful to the “advise and consent” duty of the Senate.
“His nomination will be vetted in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, not in the media,” Mullin said.
Hegseth became the first of Trump’s nominees to to face a confirmation hearing. By the end of his hearing, there were no clear signs of potential Republican defectors.
Ernst, one of Hegseth’s main Republican detractors prior to the hearing, released a statement after the hearing which said she will support Hegseth in the forthcoming committee and floor votes on his nomination.
Nominees such as Tulsi Gabbard, whom Trump has put forward for director of national intelligence, may face more difficulties, with Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) casting doubt on her confirmation at a POLITICO Live event Tuesday.
Gabbard’s confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled.
