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USA. Candidate for Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth defended himself against accusations of drunkenness and sexual harassment

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The candidate for the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, in the Senate, denied accusations of sexual assault and harassment, as well as alcohol abuse at work. He announced that he would focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

Pete Hegseth, Fox News presenter and one of the most controversial candidates for key roles in the cabinet Donald Trump appeared on Tuesday at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where the main topic was the indecent accusations against him.

READ ALSO: A NATO skeptic, he called America “Europe's emergency number.” Pete Gegseth is to be the head of the Pentagon

Responding to questions from senators – mainly Democrats – about a number of complaints against him regarding alleged getting drunk while working, about sexual assault and about financial irregularities in the veterans' rights organizations he runs – Hegseth claimed that all of them were the work of anonymous people within “organized calumny campaign” launched by the media and the left.

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Pete Hegseth, candidate for Pentagon chiefSHAWN THEW/PAP/EPA

Hegseth wants to restore the 'warrior ethos'

– Our leftist media in America, unfortunately, does not care about the truth. All they wanted to do was destroy me. And why do they want to destroy me? Because I am a threat to them, because Donald Trump was willing to elect me, to put me in power, to restore the Department of Defense to what it really should be, which is fighting the war,” Hegseth said, citing a number of letters in his defense from his former colleagues. .

He admitted that he is not a “conventional” candidate for the position of defense secretary, but that is why he was chosen by Donald Trump.

Introducing his program, Hegseth announced that it would focus on “returning to the lethality” of the military, restoring the “warrior ethos”, strengthening the military industry and facing China. It also signaled a shift of attention and resources from Europe and the Middle East to Asia.

Pete Hegseth during a Senate hearing SHAWN THEW/PAP/EPA

– First and foremost, we will defend our homeland, our borders and our sky. Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by communist China, he said.

– And finally, we will end wars responsibly to ensure that we prioritize our resources to reorient them to the greatest threats – he said.

Despite announcing a turn to Asia, Hegseth was unable to name a single American partner that is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), incorrectly mentioning in this context JapanSouth Korea and Australia.

When asked about the approach to war in UkraineHegseth stated that “this is a presidential-level decision” and that Donald Trump has clearly announced that he wants to end this conflict. – We know who the aggressor is. We know who the good guy is. We would like it to be as beneficial as possible for Ukrainians, but this war must end, he added.

The candidate for head of the Pentagon responded to the accusations

Still, most of the questions focused on Hegseth's biography and what Democrats accused him of lacking qualifications.

When asked by Senator Mark Kelly whether the individual cases of acts he was accused of (including the fact that he was carried away unconscious several times during official events) really happened, he only replied that these were “anonymous calumnies”, although only some of the complaints were anonymous.

He also assured that although “he is not perfect”, he converted and “was saved by God, Jesus and Jenny”, his third wife. He also promised not to drink alcohol.

The candidate for the head of the Pentagon had to face questions about accusations of harassmentSHAWN THEW/PAP/EPA

The former National Guard soldier also explained and withdrew his previous opposition to women's service in the military, comments calling for non-compliance with the Geneva Conventions, support for torture and his activities in favor of pardoning soldiers accused and convicted of war crimes.

Hegseth suggested that legal restrictions “tie the hands of soldiers in difficult combat situations,” but argued that this did not mean he was opposed to following the law.

Hegseth is Trump's candidate for head of the Pentagon

Trump's candidate avoided answering questions about the implementation of the president's potential order to use the military against demonstrators or in connection with the operation of immigrant camps.

He added that he would act in accordance with the constitution. He assured senators that he would also approach the military in an apolitical way, despite his earlier words in which he called Democrats “not only opponents, but enemies.”

Hegseth was Donald Trump's first candidate for a position in the new cabinet interviewed by senators. Despite initial signs of opposition from some Republican senators in the face of reports of moral scandals, Tuesday's meeting suggested that he would probably obtain the majority of votes needed to approve the nomination.

Every Republican senator on the committee signaled support for Hegseth, including the initially skeptical Joni Ernst, an armed forces veteran who herself had been mentioned as a candidate for Hegseth's position.

On Wednesday, Trump's next nominees will be questioned by the Senate, including: Secretary of State candidate Marco Rubio and director candidate CIA John Ratcliffe.

Main photo source: SHAWN THEW/PAP/EPA



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