Hegseth made fun of women in combat, the purge officer during his confirmation hearing

Editor’s note: This is a developing story that will be updated.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, rejected allegations that he committed sexual assault and mismanagement of veterans groups as his confirmation hearing began.

Hegseth, who faces fierce opposition from Democrats, also sparred with the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee over expectations that the Trump administration would purge the upper echelons of the military of anyone perceived as liberal.

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Hegseth’s nomination has been rocky since it emerged that he faced sexual assault allegations in 2017 as well as financial mismanagement and excessive drinking while serving as leader of two conservative veterans’ groups.

Asked by committee chairman Roger Wicker, Miss R., in the first question of the hearing to comment on the allegations against him, Hegseth dismissed them as a “coordinated smear campaign.”

“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real,” Hegseth added.

During his round of questions, Sen. Jack Reed, D-Ill., the committee’s ranking member, read to Hegseth an email he said was sent to a military officer and which said the Trump administration was expected to remove “disloyal, treasonous and liberal ” officers and threatened to hand over the name of a Trump administration official for firing.

Hegseth denied knowing about the email, but stressed that he plans to restore “accountability” to Pentagon leadership.

“The leadership did not want to take responsibility. It’s time to bring it back to our most senior leaders,” Hegseth said.

In his opening remarks, Reed said Hegseth’s FBI background check, shared with Reed and Wicker but not other committee members and not made public, was insufficient and said he believed Hegseth was “not qualified” to be defense secretary.

More coming soon.

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