Secretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth argued Monday that his comments about women in the military have been “misconstrued,” before pledging to be a “secretary for all our warriors.”
“I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued, that I somehow don’t support women in the military,” the 44-year-old Army veteran told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there, are women,” Hegseth said, noting that female service members defend the country “every single day around the globe.”
Should he be confirmed in the Senate, Hegseth said he looks “forward to being a secretary for all our warriors, men and women, for the amazing contributions they make in our military.”
During a Nov. 7 appearance on the “Sean Ryan Show” podcast, just days before he was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Pentagon, Hegseth argued that women should not serve in military combat roles.
“I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles,” he said on the podcast. “It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), an Army veteran herself, noted over the weekend that she would like to hear more about Hegseth’s views on women in combat before supporting his nomination.
The pair met for at least the second time on Capitol Hill Monday in what Hegseth described as a “great meeting.”
“People don’t really know this – I’ve known Senator Ernst for over ten years,” Hegseth told Hannity. “I knew her when she was a state senator, running to be the first female combat veteran, and we supported her in that effort and have continued to.”
Trump’s top Pentagon pick indicated that he has relished the opportunity to discuss key Department of Defense issues with senators, like Ernst, throughout the advise and consent process.
“The fact that she’s willing to support me through this process means a lot,” Hegseth said of Ernst.
The 54-year-old Ernst on Monday described her discussions with Hegseth as “encouraging” — and echoed his frustrations with anonymous sources attacking his personal history.
“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”
Hegseth told Hannity that he’s “looking forward” to having an FBI run a background check on him as part of the confirmation process, because he believes it will dispel claims that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017.
A lawyer for Hegseth confirmed last month that the former Fox News personality paid an undisclosed amount to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, an encounter which he maintains was consensual.
“It was fully investigated at the time, years ago, and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told Hannity. “And that’s why, Sean, you know what I look forward to? I’m looking forward to the FBI background check. I look forward to the actual under oath conversations with senators as we go through the process, because, again, this is what the left does, Sean – It’s the anatomy of a smear.”
Hegseth revealed that he has several more meetings on Capitol Hill scheduled this week, including with moderate Republicans crucial to his confirmation.
“We will be meeting with [Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)] on Wednesday and [Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)] on Tuesday, he said.
If all Democrats vote against his confirmation, Hegseth can only lose three Republican votes or his nomination is sunk.
