Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma blasted his Democratic counterparts for claiming that the allegations of alcohol abuse and cheating make Pete Hegseth inelegible to be Secretary of Defense.
Speaking heatedly, Mullin said the only requirement to hold the post is being a civilian. He went on to address Virginia Senator Tim Kaine directly, who earlier grilled Hegseth about him cheating on his wife.
"At that time, you were still married to your second wife, correct?" Kaine said. "And you had just fathered a child by a woman who would later become your third wife, correct?" Hegseth said he was "falsely charged, fully investigated and completely cleared."
"So you think you were completely cleared because you committed no crime. That's your definition of cleared? You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman who was not your wife. I am shocked that you would stand here and say you're completely cleared and you so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child who had been born two months before, and you tell us you were completely cleared. How is that a complete clear?" Kaine added.
Hegseth pushed back, saying the girl is a "child of God." He later acknowledged that he has "failed" but is "redeemed by my lord and savior Jesus Christ."
Later on, Senator Mullin directly took on Kaine for his comments on Hegseth's alleged drunkenness. He "brings up the fact of 'what if you showed up drunk to do your job? How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?" Mullin said.
"And you guys have asked them to step down? Don't tell me you haven't seen it because I know you have. How many senators you know got a divorce for cheating on their wides? Have you asked them to step down? No, it's for show," he added.
Hegseth, a military combat veteran and ex-Fox News host, has faced allegations of sexual assault, financial misconduct and excessive drinking. In one prior incident, he reportedly chanted "kill all Muslims" in front of a veterans group before he was removed.
There have also been lingering questions over his views on gays in the military.
Hegseth also previously called for the restoration of the names of U.S. military bases that honored Confederate generals.
He also has no comparable management experience.
Hegseth can only afford three Republican rejections and still be confirmed, should every Democrat and independent vote against him but he has maintained Trump's support.
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