The Charlie Kirk Show - The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party

00:00:00.000 Hey everybody, it's on the Charlie Kirk Show, a monster episode where we cover the Pete Hegseth nomination.

00:00:03.000 We cut in and out live of the nomination and tell you why Pete Hegseth is going to make an excellent Secretary of Defense.

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00:00:27.000 Here we go.

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00:01:26.000 All right, everybody.

00:01:27.000 Right now, Pete Hegseth, our next Secretary of Defense, is being grilled by Angus King.

00:01:33.000 In fact, it looks like it just got thrown over to Senator Rick Scott.

00:01:36.000 Is that correct?

00:01:37.000 It looks like Senator Scott.

00:01:38.000 I just kind of see it picture in picture.

00:01:40.000 Great job there, guys.

00:01:41.000 Let's see what Senator Scott has to say, and then we'll throw back here, kind of give you an update of this historic hearing.

00:01:47.000 Let's see what Senator Rick Scott has to say.

00:01:49.000 It was instrumental in 2014 and 2017 in ensuring that veterans had health care choice.

00:01:54.000 The second letter, submitted by Mr. Cason Sparrow, Digital Media Director of CVA, from 2015 to 2017, stated, Pete brought incredible energy, focus, and a clear vision to the organization and showed everything that the team accomplished together.

00:02:10.000 And I similarly asked to submit to the record a letter from Paul J. Roberts, Retired Colonel, U.S. Army Special Forces, speaking to the unwavering integrity of Mr. Hegseth.

00:02:28.000 Is there objection?

00:02:30.000 Without objection, those three will be admitted.

00:02:33.000 Senator Scott.

00:02:36.000 First, congratulations on your nomination.

00:02:38.000 Thank you, Senator.

00:02:39.000 And thank you for being willing to serve our nation.

00:02:44.000 I served in the Navy.

00:02:45.000 I'm really proud of my dad.

00:02:46.000 He was crazy.

00:02:47.000 He did all four combat jumps with the 80-second Airborne.

00:02:50.000 He, after that, survived all that and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

00:02:54.000 And what they went through, it was hell.

00:02:57.000 So I have a lot of respect for him and for everybody that puts on the uniform and serves in battle and has to lead people in battle.

00:03:04.000 Because being on a ship, that didn't happen to me.

00:03:07.000 But I had a lot of friends that happened to him.

00:03:09.000 It clearly happened to my dad.

00:03:11.000 I've served on this committee for six years, two years under President Trump and the past four under President Joe Biden.

00:03:17.000 I've seen how the Biden-Harris administration pushed the DOD to prioritize wokeness over being the most lethal military force in the world.

00:03:25.000 It's our readiness, our national security, and our ability to recruit people who are willing to put their lives on the line for our country.

00:03:31.000 Can you talk about some of the changes we can make to improve recruitment and rebuild our military into the most lethal force in the world?

00:03:39.000 First of all, Senator, thank you for the question.

00:03:42.000 Thank you for your time.

00:03:43.000 I think the first and most important thing we could have done is elect Donald Trump as the new commander-in-chief.

00:03:49.000 Because past is prologue.

00:03:51.000 Our warfighters understand what kind of commander-in-chief they're going to get in President Donald Trump.

00:03:56.000 Someone who stands behind them.

00:03:58.000 Someone who gives them clear missions.

00:04:00.000 Someone who ends wars decisively.

00:04:03.000 And the issue of Ukraine was mentioned.

00:04:06.000 And ensures new wars are not started.

00:04:09.000 There was a minor incursion under Barack Obama into Crimea, followed by nothing under President Trump, followed by an all-out assault by Vladimir Putin into Ukraine under the Biden administration.

00:04:20.000 That did not happen under Donald Trump.

00:04:23.000 Donald Trump managed the Taliban. 0.83

00:04:25.000 The Biden administration, Afghanistan collapsed tragically, ending the lives of 13 at Abbey Gate, who we remember every single day, and no one was held accountable for that.

00:04:35.000 Chinese spy balloons were flying over the country.

00:04:38.000 None of that happened under Donald Trump, and our warfighters understand that.

00:04:42.000 So there's no better recruiter, in my mind, for our military than President Donald Trump.

00:04:48.000 My job is to come alongside him should I be confirmed and continue to emphasize his emphasis on warfighting, on getting... 0.76

00:04:57.000 Anything that doesn't contribute to meritocracy...

00:05:01.000 Pete Hegseth is just crushing it right now.

00:05:03.000 And Pete Hegseth...

00:05:04.000 So this is the way it works, is this is the Senate Armed Services Committee chaired by Senator Roger Wicker, who's wearing a foreign flag for whatever reason.

00:05:12.000 Someone can explain that to me, that the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has a foreign flag that he's wearing, that being Ukraine.

00:05:18.000 Then he also has a co-chair from Rhode Island.

00:05:22.000 I don't remember this guy's name.

00:05:23.000 It was...

00:05:24.000 What was his name again?

00:05:25.000 Senator...

00:05:26.000 I don't want to misspeak.

00:05:27.000 So basically they co-chair the committee, Senator Reid.

00:05:31.000 And so Senator Wicker controls the gavel. 0.90

00:05:34.000 He begins.

00:05:34.000 So it goes back and forth with equal time for Republicans and Democrats.

00:05:38.000 When the Republicans ask questions, it's softballs, as it should be.

00:05:42.000 Got to give the guy some time to regather, to take a deep breath, to be able to get his footing.

00:05:48.000 And then the Democrats come all in and forcefully.

00:05:51.000 But let's kind of frame this up.

00:05:53.000 One of...

00:05:55.000 The distinctions of how our government is supposed to be constituted is a civilian-led military.

00:06:01.000 The Joint Chiefs of Staff has its own problem.

00:06:03.000 Whether or not the Joint Chiefs even exist or not is a separate issue.

00:06:06.000 But having a frontline fighter to lead the Department of Defense is an extraordinary development.

00:06:13.000 Most people that have led the Department of Defense, from Lloyd Austin to Mark Milley, they have not faced fire themselves.

00:06:20.000 They have not lost friends.

00:06:23.000 On the front lines of battle.

00:06:25.000 Pete Hegseth will bring that warrior ethos back into the Department of Defense.

00:06:31.000 Pete Hegseth understands the threat of DEI, critical race theory, and the American left.

00:06:36.000 He understands that our threat is not just international, it is also domestic.

00:06:43.000 Pete Hegseth will purge the United States military of DEI. Of the lowering of standards, he will put forward in equilibrium that if women want to serve in the military, they must have the same physical fitness standards as men.

00:06:57.000 Pete Hegseth has been morally clear on who our enemies are.

00:07:00.000 By the way, Pete Hegseth had a great answer on Hamas, on Israel.

00:07:06.000 He said that it's time for us to get out of Ukraine, and you can see how Pete is under fire.

00:07:11.000 He has been in combat, so this is nothing to him.

00:07:14.000 And Pete is not connected to the military-industrial complex like Mark Milley, like Mad Dog Mattis, like all of these failures at DOD. Pete Hegseth actually fought in the front lines, and it's time that we have a warrior to lead other warriors.

00:07:30.000 Someone that has ascended, who, with distinction and honor, Pete Hegseth served this nation.

00:07:38.000 Mark Milley, if you get a picture of Mark Milley, he has all these medals.

00:07:40.000 What did he ever do to get all those medals?

00:07:43.000 All this regalia.

00:07:44.000 What war did Mark Milley win to get all of that regalia?

00:07:48.000 One of the greatest threats to our own country is how the cancer, the tumor of wokeism, has been enveloping the United States military.

00:07:59.000 It makes us less ready to win wars.

00:08:01.000 Our military preparedness has been eroded and dulled.

00:08:05.000 The morale of our military is at all-time lows.

00:08:07.000 We have a recruiting crisis right now.

00:08:11.000 In the United States military.

00:08:12.000 We were once the finest fighting force on the planet, and now that is being put in jeopardy.

00:08:18.000 Pete Hegseth will bring it back.

00:08:20.000 Bring back warrior culture.

00:08:21.000 Show 54 right there.

00:08:22.000 This is Mark Milley.

00:08:23.000 What on earth did he ever do to get that many medals?

00:08:27.000 What war did he win?

00:08:29.000 What conquest did he offer?

00:08:32.000 What battle did he participate in to get that many medals?

00:08:35.000 No, simply by existing.

00:08:37.000 Must take an hour to put all those on.

00:08:40.000 Mr. White Rage.

00:08:41.000 Now contrast that overweight, low testosterone, beta male failure of a general with, contrast that with Pete Hegseth.

00:08:52.000 The man right now who is calm under fire.

00:08:54.000 Oh, we gotta listen to this.

00:08:55.000 Go right now.

00:08:55.000 We gotta go.

00:08:56.000 Elizabeth Warren, we gotta listen to this.

00:08:57.000 Go to Elizabeth Warren.

00:08:58.000 Disqualifies you from serving in this role.

00:09:01.000 Now, I've been trying to get answers from you for quite some time on this.

00:09:05.000 You haven't wanted to meet or to answer any of my questions.

00:09:08.000 So we'll just have to do it here and dive in.

00:09:11.000 I want to pick up on some of the questions asked by Senators Sheen and Gillibrand and Hirono.

00:09:16.000 And I just want to make sure we have a list of some of the facts that I think are undisputed.

00:09:21.000 I'm not going to talk about anonymous sources.

00:09:23.000 I'm just going to quote you directly.

00:09:24.000 We've got the video.

00:09:26.000 We've got it in print.

00:09:27.000 So going back to January 2013, you told a Fox News interviewer that women in the military simply couldn't measure up to men in the military, saying that allowing women to serve in combat roles would force the military to lower the bar.

00:09:42.000 You picked up on that same theme in 2015, making remarks on Fox News.

00:09:47.000 Referring to women in combat as, quote, it would erode standards. 0.99

00:09:53.000 June 2024, you said on Ben Shapiro's podcast, quote, women shouldn't be in combat at all. 0.63

00:10:03.000 And then, of course, we've talked about it in 2024. He published a book.

00:10:07.000 And you say on page 26 of your book, we need moms. 0.84

00:10:11.000 But not in the military, especially in combat units.

00:10:16.000 Page 48 of your book, you claim that women should not be in combat roles because men are distracted by women.

00:10:26.000 And then 10 weeks ago, you appeared on the Sean Ryan show and said, I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.

00:10:35.000 Now, I presume you recall making all these statements?

00:10:40.000 Senator, I'm not familiar with the article you're pointing to in 2013, but it underscores my argument completely.

00:10:47.000 Because in that 2013 argument, I was talking about standards.

00:10:50.000 Standards are what it's always been about, Senator.

00:10:53.000 Please, let's not have this same fight again.

00:10:53.000 Always been about Senate standards.

00:10:54.000 I quoted you directly.

00:10:56.000 We've got the video.

00:10:57.000 We're happy to show it.

00:10:59.000 But I want to be clear here.

00:11:00.000 For 12 years, you were quite open about your views, and your views were consistently the same.

00:11:06.000 Women are inferior soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and guardians. 1.00

00:11:11.000 She is such a liar. 1.00

00:11:13.000 Pocahontas is on one right now.

00:11:15.000 The physical fitness standards are so much lower for women in the military.

00:11:19.000 We're going to go through it.

00:11:19.000 We have the receipts.

00:11:20.000 Keep going with Pocahontas. 1.00

00:11:22.000 Last public comment saying that women absolutely should not be in combat.

00:11:26.000 You declared that, quote, some of our greatest warriors are women.

00:11:32.000 And you support.

00:11:34.000 Having them serve in combat.

00:11:36.000 Now, that is a very, very big about-face in a very, very short period of time.

00:11:46.000 So help me understand, Mr. Hegseth, what extraordinary event happened in that 32-day period that made you change the core values you had expressed?

00:12:04.000 Senator, again, I very much appreciate you bringing up my comments from 2013, because for me, this issue has always been about standards.

00:12:16.000 And unfortunately, because of some of the people that have been in political power for the last four years, priorities other than standards, lethality, and meritocracy have driven decision-making.

00:12:27.000 I'm quoting you from the podcast.

00:12:30.000 Women shouldn't be in combat at all. 1.00

00:12:37.000 That they should be there if they can carry, if they can run.

00:12:41.000 I don't see that at all, Mr. Hegseth.

00:12:44.000 What I see is that there's a 32-day period in which you suddenly have another description about your views of women in the military.

00:12:55.000 And I just want to know, what changed in the 32 days that the song you sang is not the song you come in here today to sing?

00:13:05.000 Senator, the concerns I have and the concerns that many have had, especially in ground combat units, is that in pursuit of certain percentages or quotas, standards have been changed.

00:13:15.000 And that makes the combat more difficult for everybody involved.

00:13:18.000 Let me make a suggestion about what happened in that 32 days.

00:13:22.000 You got a nomination from President Trump.

00:13:25.000 Now, I've heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I've heard of a nomination conversion.

00:13:31.000 And I hope you understand.

00:13:34.000 That many women serving in the military right now might think that if you can convert so rapidly your long-held and aggressively pursued views in just 32 days, that 32 days after you get confirmed, maybe you'll just reverse those views and go back to the old guy who said, straight up, women do not belong in combat. 1.00

00:14:01.000 Now, Mr. Hagstaff, you have written that after they retire, generals should be banned from working for the defense industry for 10 years.

00:14:09.000 You and I agree on the corrosive effects of the revolving door between the Pentagon and defense contractors.

00:14:16.000 It's something I would have liked to talk to you about if you'd come and been willing to visit with me.

00:14:21.000 But the question I have for you on this is, will you put your money where your mouth is?

00:14:26.000 And agree that when you leave this job, you will not work for the defense industry for 10 years?

00:14:32.000 Senator, it's not even a question I've thought about.

00:14:35.000 You can think about it right now.

00:14:37.000 It's not one.

00:14:38.000 My motivation for this job has never been about what could conceivably come next.

00:14:44.000 Time is short.

00:14:44.000 I just need a yes or no.

00:14:46.000 I would consult with the president about what the policy should be in the defense department.

00:14:49.000 In other words, you're quite sure.

00:14:52.000 That every general who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years?

00:14:58.000 You're not willing to make that same pledge?

00:15:01.000 I'm not a general, Senator.

00:15:05.000 You'll be the one, let us just be clear, in charge of the generals?

00:15:11.000 So you're saying, sauce for the goose, but certainly not sauce for the gander?

00:15:16.000 I would want to see what the policy of the president is.

00:15:18.000 Oh, I'll bet you would.

00:15:19.000 Thank you, Senator Warren.

00:15:21.000 Senator Tuberville.

00:15:25.000 Hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here.

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00:16:25.000 Coach Tommy Tuberville, senator from Alabama, is asking questions right now, so we can kind of take a step back and frame what's happening right here.

00:16:32.000 You have a frontline fighter that is being grilled by people that have never served before.

00:16:38.000 And I have nothing against people not serving before.

00:16:40.000 I mean, obviously, I have not served, so everyone is allowed to have opinions about these things.

00:16:44.000 But at some point, we must realize the military is slipping at such a dramatic pace that we have lost our fighting edge.

00:16:51.000 And the fighters themselves coming back into the military is what's missing.

00:16:55.000 Not more academics.

00:16:56.000 We need less academics in the military and more fighters in the military that know what it's like to send their best friends home in body bags.

00:17:06.000 We need less people that spent their lives in air conditioning and attend rubber chicken dinners for a living.

00:17:11.000 By the way, I'm one of those people.

00:17:13.000 I get it.

00:17:13.000 I'm not here trying to run the DOD. I'm not here trying to run the Pentagon.

00:17:18.000 Pete Heggseth.

00:17:19.000 Has done the tough work.

00:17:21.000 Served the country with courage and distinction and valor.

00:17:25.000 Now, a big debate around Pete Hegseth's nomination is women in combat. 1.00

00:17:31.000 Now, we've been very clear on this program that we don't believe that women should be in frontline combat roles. 1.00

00:17:36.000 It's not to say that women can't serve in other roles and other capacities and it doesn't diminish the courage or the valor that many women have showed.

00:17:43.000 But this is why.

00:17:45.000 It's because of standards.

00:17:47.000 And Pete Hegseth was saying this in his confirmation, but Pocahontas, who needed a peace pipe or something, by the way, she had to calm down, out of control, was interrupting him too much.

00:17:59.000 Let's put this up on screen.

00:18:00.000 This is the ACFT grading scales.

00:18:04.000 Now, when we are trying to go up against the Chinese Communist Party, when we are trying to go up potentially against Iran, God forbid, or some other enemy, wouldn't it be necessary?

00:18:16.000 That every single person that we are sending in the front lines has the same capacity.

00:18:22.000 Women have different thresholds. 1.00

00:18:24.000 And that's not okay.

00:18:26.000 Women are, if they're going to be in front line combat roles, should have the same thresholds as men. 0.99

00:18:32.000 You should not accommodate whether or not you can carry a fellow service member after they get shot or whether they pass out or they are wounded.

00:18:40.000 The enemy doesn't care if you are a male or female.

00:18:44.000 Mortar shells?

00:18:46.000 Bullets and the enemy come at you just the same.

00:18:50.000 Here is the ACFT grading scales.

00:18:53.000 A female has to run a 1529 mile. 0.97

00:19:00.000 That's what it looks like.

00:19:00.000 I think I'm reading that correctly.

00:19:01.000 At the lowest threshold.

00:19:04.000 At the highest threshold.

00:19:05.000 A male has to run a 1322. Just two miles.

00:19:08.000 And 13 minutes and 22 seconds.

00:19:10.000 For push-ups.

00:19:12.000 A male has to do 57 push-ups.

00:19:15.000 A female at the highest has to do 53 push-ups. 1.00

00:19:18.000 But here's what's amazing.

00:19:20.000 At the lowest rank, I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly.

00:19:24.000 It's like high points.

00:19:25.000 I guess you want the lowest points possible.

00:19:28.000 The deadlift is one of the most amazing ones.

00:19:30.000 Okay, you want 100 points, but then why are the points correlated?

00:19:33.000 It's a very confusing graph.

00:19:35.000 It doesn't make a lot of sense.

00:19:36.000 So the lower, the less push-ups you do, the more points you get.

00:19:39.000 Okay.

00:19:40.000 I don't think you guys are right.

00:19:42.000 It says right here, 56 push-ups.

00:19:44.000 Gets you 44 points.

00:19:46.000 But 57 push-ups gets you 17 points.

00:19:49.000 So explain that one to me.

00:19:51.000 Okay.

00:19:51.000 Oh, it's by age at the top.

00:19:54.000 That's nice.

00:19:54.000 But it says points, not age.

00:19:56.000 Oh, I see.

00:19:57.000 The older people have lower standards. 1.00

00:19:59.000 But it's labeled as points.

00:20:00.000 Whoever designed this should be fired.

00:20:02.000 Pete Hegg says should fire this person.

00:20:03.000 It's very confusing.

00:20:05.000 Because it says points, and then it goes...

00:20:06.000 Okay, anyway.

00:20:07.000 It doesn't even label age.

00:20:08.000 So I see how it is.

00:20:09.000 Okay, so it's based on age.

00:20:11.000 So, for example, a 20-year-old woman... 1.00

00:20:14.000 has to only be able to deadlift 210 pounds.

00:20:18.000 But a 20-year-old man has to be able to deadlift 340 pounds.

00:20:22.000 Said differently, a woman does not even need to be able to pick up or carry a fellow man with gear on at the very base minimum standard. 0.55

00:20:34.000 So they should have to be as strong in order for a woman to serve in the military. 1.00

00:20:37.000 If a woman can deadlift 340 pounds, welcome in. 1.00

00:20:41.000 If a woman can do the push-up standards and can do the plank standards, which actually the plank standards are equal, or the mile standards, so why are we lowering the standards of the finest fighting force ever in the pursuit of diversity? 0.98

00:20:57.000 And diversity is not our strength.

00:20:59.000 Equity is not our strength.

00:21:01.000 Inclusion is not our strength.

00:21:02.000 Unity to kill the enemy is...

00:21:06.000 Our strength.

00:21:07.000 There should be one standard, full stop.

00:21:09.000 This is not controversial.

00:21:11.000 99% of the country agrees.

00:21:14.000 And for this, by the way, women in frontline combat roles, has that made our military better or not as good? 0.99

00:21:21.000 What war have we won since we've allowed women in frontline military roles? 1.00

00:21:24.000 No, seriously, what war have we won?

00:21:25.000 We got embarrassed in Iraq.

00:21:27.000 We got embarrassed in Afghanistan. 0.99

00:21:30.000 We have lost our edge.

00:21:32.000 And Pete Hegseth embodies the type of masculinity that we need back into the United States military.

00:21:38.000 Employees in the office of the Secretary of Defense has nearly doubled from 1,500 to 3,000.

00:21:44.000 Civilians on Joint Chiefs has increased from 191 to almost 1,000.

00:21:51.000 Our military end strength goes down.

00:21:53.000 Our staff numbers are exploding.

00:21:55.000 What are you going to do about that?

00:21:57.000 Senator, we're going to address that.

00:22:00.000 We won World War II with seven four-star generals.

00:22:04.000 Today we have 44 four-star generals.

00:22:07.000 There's an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield.

00:22:15.000 We don't need more bureaucracy at the top.

00:22:17.000 We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom. 1.00

00:22:20.000 So it's going to be my job working with those that we hire and those inside the administration to identify those places where fat can be cut so it can go toward lethality.

00:22:29.000 Thank you, Senator Tuberville.

00:22:31.000 Senator Peters.

00:22:32.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman Stregshoff.

00:22:34.000 Welcome to this committee.

00:22:36.000 Thank you.

00:22:38.000 We have far too much partisanship in our country right now.

00:22:44.000 I think it's eating away at the fabric of what has always made this country great, about bringing people together from all sorts of backgrounds, all sorts of experiences.

00:22:56.000 We know that in our motto, together as one, we are strong.

00:23:01.000 And so we and this committee, and certainly I speak for myself, but I think I speak for many of my colleagues, want to take partisanship out of this proceeding as much as we can.

00:23:10.000 I'm not naive.

00:23:11.000 It's out there.

00:23:12.000 I get it.

00:23:13.000 But we've got to try to take that out.

00:23:16.000 And I want you to know that as a member of this committee, I have voted in a bipartisan way for secretaries of defense.

00:23:24.000 I voted for two secretaries of defense when Donald Trump was previously president.

00:23:30.000 We had those two.

00:23:31.000 We had, I think, five total secretaries of defense during that four-year period.

00:23:36.000 So we want to keep that in mind as to what we might see in this coming administration.

00:23:42.000 But I voted...

00:23:43.000 And we voted by a big margin for those folks as well.

00:23:47.000 But part of that was the process and having an opportunity to get to know the person and understand their qualifications and understand the standards.

00:23:54.000 I made repeated requests to meet with you prior to this meeting.

00:23:58.000 I know many of my other colleagues also wanted to meet with you.

00:24:02.000 I did that with the other nominees that I was happy to vote for.

00:24:05.000 I thought they were highly qualified individuals and true professionals.

00:24:09.000 And yet, I could never get a meeting with you.

00:24:11.000 Was there a reason you were afraid to have one-on-one meetings with some of my colleagues before the hearing?

00:24:18.000 Senator, I know there was a great deal of outreach to multiple offices.

00:24:22.000 Schedules get full.

00:24:23.000 There's a lot going on.

00:24:24.000 I was ready.

00:24:25.000 And I welcome the opportunity, pending my schedule, to have an opportunity to sit down.

00:24:29.000 I was ready.

00:24:29.000 It would have been so much better to have that opportunity to talk.

00:24:34.000 I think that's a big mistake, and it doesn't set us on a good course when you refuse to meet with people and have a professional conversation about the huge challenges that we face at the Department of Defense.

00:24:45.000 My colleagues, the folks who introduced you, and others, the chairman has mentioned about the management of the DOD as a concern, cost overruns, delays on weapons systems.

00:24:55.000 We need strong management at the Department of Defense, first and foremost.

00:25:00.000 We've got to have someone who's going to grab the reins and give the taxpayers value for having the most lethal fighting force in the world that defends freedoms, but we've got to do it in an efficient way.

00:25:11.000 I've heard about the jobs you've had in the past.

00:25:13.000 Let's just talk about qualifications.

00:25:14.000 I know you had two previous positions.

00:25:17.000 How many people reported to you in those positions?

00:25:20.000 Senator, at Vets for Freedom, we were a small upstart.

00:25:23.000 Our focus was...

00:25:25.000 Just the number, please.

00:25:26.000 Working on Capitol Hill, going back to the battlefield, just the number, just the number, please.

00:25:30.000 We probably had eight to ten full-time staff and lots of volunteers.

00:25:35.000 So you had eight.

00:25:36.000 Has there been any other?

00:25:37.000 We've heard about the two, and certainly there's been a lot of talk about the mismanagement, et cetera, et cetera.

00:25:42.000 I'm just curious.

00:25:43.000 I won't go into that.

00:25:44.000 Just curious.

00:25:45.000 So you had eight there.

00:25:47.000 What's the largest number of people you've ever supervised or had in an organization in your career?

00:25:52.000 Not three million.

00:25:54.000 No, I don't expect that.

00:25:55.000 Very few people have ever had that experience, but how many?

00:25:58.000 It's a straight-up question.

00:25:59.000 I think we had over 100 full-time staff at Concern Vets for America, roughly, with thousands of volunteers.

00:26:07.000 I was also a headquarters company commander, which would have been a couple of hundred.

00:26:11.000 Nothing remotely near the size of the Defense Department, I would acknowledge that.

00:26:15.000 Actually, not remotely near even a medium-sized company in America, let alone a big company in America, especially a major corporation.

00:26:24.000 We're hiring you to be the CEO of one of the most complex, largest organizations in the world.

00:26:31.000 We're the board of directors here.

00:26:33.000 I don't know of any corporate board of directors that would hire a CEO for a major company if they came and said, you know, I supervised 100 people before.

00:26:43.000 They'd ask you, well, what kind of experiences you had?

00:26:45.000 We need innovation.

00:26:46.000 Can you give me an experience or your actual experience of driving innovation in an organization?

00:26:53.000 Hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here.

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00:27:56.000 Let's resume a Pete Hegsess hearing in front of the Senate.

00:27:59.000 ...organization in the world.

00:28:01.000 I don't think there's a...

00:28:03.000 We have a problem of standards in the DOD, and we have to raise standards for the men and women who serve.

00:28:19.000 Do you think that the way to raise the minimum standards of the people who serve us is to lower the standards for the Secretary of Defense, that we have someone who has never managed an organization, more than 100 people, is going to come in and manage this incredibly important organization and do it with a professionalism and has no experience that they can tell us that they have actually done that?

00:28:43.000 I have real problems with that.

00:28:44.000 This is not about...

00:28:46.000 Other issues that are brought up, they're all very important.

00:28:48.000 I'm just about trying to get things done, managing efficiently, and having the best people who have demonstrated that in a large organization.

00:28:56.000 And I'm sorry, but I don't see that in your background.

00:29:00.000 There are a lot of other things you can do very well.

00:29:02.000 You're a capable person, but you have not convinced me.

00:29:08.000 That you're able to take on this tremendous responsibility with a complex organization and having little or no significant management experience.

00:29:17.000 Senator, I'm grateful to be hired by one of the most successful CEOs in American history, should I be confirmed.

00:29:24.000 Mr. Hegg said that it seems to me that you've supervised far more people than the average United States senator supervises to.

00:29:34.000 Except for former governors, Mr. Chairman.

00:29:45.000 Senator Mullen, I understand you are yielding back your time and do not wish to ask questions.

00:29:52.000 I was misinformed.

00:29:54.000 Senator Mullen.

00:29:57.000 Caught me totally off guard there.

00:29:59.000 I'd like to submit for the record signatures by 32 members of the House of Representatives who are veterans.

00:30:06.000 The signatures call on the Senate to honor the constitutional duty of advice and consent by conducting a fair, thorough confirmation process that evaluates his nomination solely on substance and merits.

00:30:19.000 His distinguished military service, academic credentials, and a bold vision for revitalizing the national offense.

00:30:26.000 I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record.

00:30:27.000 Without objection.

00:30:30.000 You know, there's a lot of talk going about, talking about qualifications and then about us hiring him if we are the board.

00:30:37.000 But there's a lot of senators here I wouldn't have on my board because there is no qualifications except your age and you got to be living in the state and you're a citizen of the United States to be a senator.

00:30:47.000 Other than the fact that we've got to convince a lot of people to vote for us.

00:30:51.000 And then when we start talking about qualifications for if you're qualified for it, could the chairman tell me what the qualifications are for the Secretary of Defense?

00:31:01.000 Mr. Chairman, could you tell me what the qualifications are for the Secretary of Defense?

00:31:07.000 I'd be happy for you to do that.

00:31:11.000 Let me read it for you.

00:31:12.000 I was getting some advice from my second-in-command.

00:31:17.000 I'm just making a point because there's a lot about qualifications.

00:31:20.000 I think it's so hypocritical of senators, especially on the other side of the aisle, be talking about his qualifications, not going to be the Secretary of Defense, and yet your qualifications aren't any better.

00:31:35.000 You guys aren't any more qualified to be the senator than I'm qualified to be the senator, except we're lucky enough to be here.

00:31:40.000 But let me read you what the qualifications of the Secretary of Defense is, because I googled it, and I googled it and went through a lot of different sites, and really it's hard to see, but in general, the U.S. Secretary of Defense position is filled by a civilian.

00:31:53.000 That's it.

00:31:55.000 If you have served in the U.S. Army forces, And I've been in the service for, you have to be retired for at least seven years, and Congress can weigh that.

00:32:05.000 And then there's questions that the senator from Massachusetts brought up about serving on a board inside the military industry, and yet your own secretary that you all voted for, Secretary Austin, we had to vote on a waiver because he stepped out the board of Raytheon.

00:32:27.000 But I guess that's okay because that's a Democrat Secretary of Defense.

00:32:33.000 But we so quickly forget about that.

00:32:35.000 And then Senator Kaine, or I guess I better use the senator from Virginia, starts bringing up the fact that what if you showed up drunk to your job?

00:32:44.000 How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?

00:32:50.000 Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job?

00:32:54.000 And don't tell me you haven't seen it because I know you have.

00:32:57.000 And then how many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives?

00:33:02.000 Did you ask them to step down?

00:33:05.000 No.

00:33:07.000 But it's for show.

00:33:08.000 You guys, make sure you make a big show and point out the hypocrisy because the man's made a mistake.

00:33:15.000 And you want to sit there and say that he's not qualified?

00:33:18.000 Give me a joke.

00:33:19.000 It is so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself at this higher standard and you forget you've got a big plank in your eye.

00:33:26.000 We've all made mistakes.

00:33:28.000 I've made mistakes.

00:33:29.000 And Jennifer, thank you for loving him through that mistake.

00:33:32.000 Because the only reason why I'm here and not in prison is because my wife loved me too.

00:33:41.000 I have changed, but I'm not perfect.

00:33:45.000 But I found somebody that thought I was perfect.

00:33:47.000 And for whatever reason, you love Pete, and I don't know why.

00:33:52.000 But just like our Lord and Savior forgave me, my wife's had to forgive me more than once too, and I'm sure you've had to forgive him too.

00:33:59.000 And so thank you.

00:34:01.000 So before I go down this rabbit hole again, tell me something about your wife that you love.

00:34:11.000 She's the smartest, most capable, loving, humble.

00:34:17.000 Honest person I've ever met.

00:34:20.000 In addition to being incredibly beautiful.

00:34:27.000 Don't forget about your kids.

00:34:29.000 I'm supposed to talk about my kids?

00:34:30.000 No, no, well, she's also the mother. 0.98

00:34:32.000 Oh, an amazing mother. 1.00

00:34:33.000 Yes.

00:34:34.000 Of our blended family of seven kids.

00:34:36.000 Brother, I'm pulling you along.

00:34:37.000 I'm trying to help you here.

00:34:40.000 You know...

00:34:42.000 Do you believe that you're going to be running the Department of Defense by yourself?

00:34:49.000 Senator, absolutely not.

00:34:51.000 Just as President Trump is assembling his cabinet, I look forward and already am in the process of building one of the best possible teams you can imagine with decades and decades of experience outside of the Pentagon, driving innovation and excellence, and also inside the building, knowing how to make it happen.

00:35:10.000 Yes, sir.

00:35:12.000 So, in your organizations that you did have the privilege of running, did you have a board?

00:35:19.000 In both organizations, we had a board, yes.

00:35:21.000 Okay, and what did you do with that board?

00:35:23.000 What kind of decisions did you make with him?

00:35:26.000 Those boards provided oversight and insight into decision-making.

00:35:30.000 They all have special, unique sets that maybe filled gaps that you're not the expertise in?

00:35:36.000 Yes, sir.

00:35:37.000 So do you believe you're capable of surrounding yourself with capable individuals that you're going to be able to run those same ideas by and surround yourself with people that are smarter and better equipped and maybe areas that you don't necessarily carry its expertise with?

00:35:55.000 Senator, the only reason I've had success in life to include my wonderful wife is because of people more capable around me and having the self-confidence to empower them and say, hey, run with the ball.

00:36:06.000 Run with the football.

00:36:08.000 Take it down the field.

00:36:09.000 We'll do this together.

00:36:10.000 I don't care who gets the credit.

00:36:12.000 And in this case, that's how the Pentagon will be run.

00:36:15.000 Let me end with this, Mr. Chairman, about the qualifications.

00:36:19.000 You got a man who has literally put his butt on the line.

00:36:23.000 He served 20 years in service, multiple deployments.

00:36:29.000 Has heard the bullets crack over the top of his head.

00:36:34.000 Has been willing to go into combat.

00:36:36.000 Been willing to see friends die for this country.

00:36:43.000 And he's willing to still put himself through this.

00:36:46.000 His wife is willing to still stand beside him, knowing he wasn't perfect, knowing that all this was going to be brought up.

00:36:52.000 And he's still willing to serve the country.

00:36:55.000 What other qualifications does he need?

00:36:59.000 That I yield back.

00:37:00.000 Thank you, Senator Mullen.

00:37:02.000 Senator Duckworth.

00:37:03.000 And again, we really are going to strictly enforce the rule about no demonstrations or noise.

00:37:16.000 Distinguished ranking member.

00:37:17.000 Just a point of personal privilege to make a correction.

00:37:21.000 The reason that General Austin required a waiver was not because of his participation in a corporate enterprise.

00:37:27.000 It was because he did not have seven years.

00:37:31.000 of interruption between his service and his appointment.

00:37:35.000 Second point is that if any of us were appointed as Secretary of Defense we would be subject to the same types of questions and the case in point is Senator John Tau was nominated for Secretary of Defense.

00:37:48.000 It was discovered by his colleagues that his behavior was not commensurate with the responsibilities despite his service and he was voted down.

00:37:58.000 Thank you.

00:38:00.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:38:02.000 Senator Duckworth, you are recognized.

00:38:04.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and also Secretary Mattis had to have this waiver as well.

00:38:10.000 Mr. Hexner, this hearing is about whether you qualify to be Secretary of Defense, and one of the qualifications to answer my colleague's question is to actually...

00:38:18.000 Win the votes of every member of this committee and to be confirmed by the United States Senate.

00:38:23.000 And you need to convince us that you're worthy of that vote because the people of the state of Illinois voted for me to be their senator so that I could cast that vote when it comes to picking who is going to be the next Secretary of Defense.

00:38:35.000 This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to serve in combat and not about whether or not you are qualified to be Secretary of Defense.

00:38:44.000 And let me just say that the American people need a sec def who's ready to lead on day one.

00:38:49.000 You are not that person.

00:38:50.000 Our adversaries watch closely during times of transition.

00:38:53.000 And any sense that the Department of Defense that keeps us safe is being steered by someone who's wholly unprepared for the job puts America at risk.

00:39:01.000 And I am not willing to do that.

00:39:03.000 With that in mind, Ms. Hexeth, I want you to try to explain to the American people this committee who have to vote for you And to our troops who are deployed around the world, why you are qualified to lead the Department of Defense.

00:39:15.000 We already know that you've only led the largest 200-person organization.

00:39:19.000 We already know that you so badly mangled a budget that after you left, they had to bring in a forensic accountant to figure out what went wrong.

00:39:29.000 And the largest budget you ever had...

00:39:31.000 Hey, Senator Duckworth, a lot of people bring in forensic accountants, okay?

00:39:34.000 It's actually called an audit.

00:39:35.000 you do one every year.

00:39:36.000 There were no findings because you've never led an audit.

00:39:38.000 What guidance did you give the auditors?

00:39:41.000 None, because you've never led an audit.

00:39:43.000 Nobody expects you to be an accountant, Mr. Hexth.

00:39:45.000 What we expect is for you to understand the complexity of this Pentagon budget process that is absolutely necessary to outfit our warfighters.

00:39:54.000 Look, the Secretary of Defense is required to make quick decisions every single day.

00:39:59.000 That, well, with high-level information that's being provided for them, a Secretary of Defense has to have breadth and depth of knowledge.

00:40:05.000 Right now, I am concerned that you have neither.

00:40:08.000 What is the highest level of international negotiations that you have engaged in, that you've led in?

00:40:14.000 Because the Secretary of Defense does lead international security negotiations.

00:40:18.000 There are three main ones that the Secretary of Defense leads and signs.

00:40:21.000 Can you name at least one of them?

00:40:23.000 Could you repeat the question, Senator?

00:40:25.000 Sure.

00:40:25.000 What is the highest level of international security agreement that you have led, and can you name some that the Secretary of Defense would lead?

00:40:34.000 There are three main ones.

00:40:36.000 Do you know?

00:40:36.000 I have not been involved in international security arrangements because I have not been in government other than serving in the military.

00:40:42.000 So my job has been to lead men and women in combat.

00:40:44.000 Can you name one of the three main ones that the Secretary of Defense signs?

00:40:47.000 You're talking about defense arrangements.

00:40:48.000 I mean, NATO might be one that you're referring to.

00:40:51.000 Status of forces agreement would be one of them.

00:40:54.000 Status of forces agreement.

00:40:56.000 I've been a part of teaching about status of forces agreements.

00:40:59.000 But you don't remember to mention it?

00:41:01.000 You're not qualified, Mr. Hexeth.

00:41:04.000 You're not qualified.

00:41:05.000 You talk about repairing our defense industrial complex.

00:41:08.000 You're not qualified to that.

00:41:09.000 You could do the acquisition and cross-servicing agreements, which essentially are security agreements.

00:41:13.000 You can't even mention that.

00:41:15.000 You've done none of those.

00:41:16.000 You talked about the Indo-Pacific a little bit, and I'm glad that you mentioned it.

00:41:20.000 Can you name?

00:41:21.000 The importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN and what type of agreement we have with at least one of those nations.

00:41:29.000 And how many nations are in ASEAN, by the way?

00:41:32.000 I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations in that.

00:41:34.000 But I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in Australia and trying to work on submarines with them.

00:41:42.000 None of those countries are in ASEAN. None of those three countries that you've mentioned are in ASEAN. I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.

00:41:53.000 Listen, Mr. Hexel, we ask our troops to go into harm's way all the time.

00:42:04.000 We ask them to go into harm's way.

00:42:06.000 And this behind me is a copy of the Soldier's Creed, a copy that usually hangs over my desk here in the Senate.

00:42:12.000 And you should be familiar with it.

00:42:13.000 It's the same copy that hung over my desk at Walter Reed every single day that I woke up and fought my way back because I wanted to go back and serve next to my buddies who'd saved my life.

00:42:23.000 This same copy, these words are repeated over and over and over again.

00:42:29.000 And let me read out two things to you, two sentences.

00:42:32.000 I will always place the mission first, and I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior task.

00:42:41.000 Mr. Hexeth, our troops follow these words every single day, and they man up, and they pack their rucksacks, and they go to war, and they deserve a leader who can lead them, not a leader who...

00:42:51.000 More with the hearing here.

00:42:53.000 I have so many thoughts here, but this is just too good to miss.

00:42:56.000 Senator Duckworth is one of the dumbest U.S. Senators.

00:42:59.000 I've known her for quite a while.

00:43:00.000 Let's resume.

00:43:02.000 He has filed for bankruptcy six times.

00:43:04.000 I'm not quite sure he's the kind of CEO you want to refer to as a successful businessman.

00:43:08.000 Let me make it clear.

00:43:11.000 You can't seem to grasp that there is no U.S. military as we know it without the incredible women that we serve. 0.99

00:43:19.000 Women who've earned their place in their units. 0.57

00:43:21.000 You have not earned your place as Secretary of Defense.

00:43:24.000 You say you care about keeping our armed forces strong and that you like that our armed forces is a meritocracy.

00:43:30.000 Then let's not lower the standards for you.

00:43:32.000 You, sir, are a no-go at this station.

00:43:35.000 Thank you, Senator Duckworth.

00:43:37.000 I would like to submit for the record a letter submitted by Mr. Brian Marriott that says anyone who would claim that Pete mismanaged funds at Vets of Freedom is ignorant of the facts.

00:43:50.000 Without objection, it will be admitted to the record.

00:43:53.000 Senator Budd.

00:43:57.000 Thank you, Chairman Wicker, and congrats on your chairmanship of this committee.

00:44:00.000 I want to thank you for your leadership and your handling of this today.

00:44:03.000 I think you're doing a great job.

00:44:06.000 So, I want to also submit for the record a letter submitted by Mr. Daniel Catlin, the former operations manager at Vets for Freedom.

00:44:15.000 Mr. Catlin's letter states that Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Catlin conducted weekly meetings to meticulously review every dollar that the organization spent.

00:44:25.000 Pete's hands-on approach and dedication to financial responsibility ensured that Vets for Freedom operated within its budget.

00:44:33.000 Mr. Catlin's letters also states that Pete treated his staff with the utmost respect, regardless of race or gender.

00:44:40.000 So I ask unanimous consent to clear this into the record, Mr. Chairman.

00:44:43.000 Without objection, so ordered.

00:44:45.000 Thank you.

00:44:46.000 Mr. Hexeth, congratulations on your nomination.

00:44:49.000 Thanks for appearing before the committee today.

00:44:52.000 I enjoy meeting you in my office before Christmas, and I've enjoyed our friendship before that.

00:44:58.000 You stated in your advanced policy questions that the American people need to be informed, engaged, and inspired to join our military.

00:45:06.000 I wholeheartedly agree with that.

00:45:09.000 We also have a problem.

00:45:11.000 Though with obesity and falling academic standards, it's very concerning.

00:45:15.000 We've talked about that before.

00:45:17.000 So if confirmed, how would you approach increasing the number of Americans eligible to serve in the military, but without lowering standards?

00:45:26.000 Well, Senator, I think there are already, to the credit of, I believe the Army and other services have now caught up to that, which have piloted programs that have had some success, that have allowed...

00:45:38.000 Young Americans who want to serve in the military but can't necessarily pass the ASFAB or pass the APFT to get into basic training, an opportunity to get caught up, a preparatory class.

00:45:50.000 Unfortunately, yes, we do have a problem of obesity in our country, not necessarily something that the, if I'm confirmed, Secretary of Defense is able to address.

00:45:59.000 But I do think leading from the front matters.

00:46:01.000 I do think having a Secretary of Defense that will go out and do PT with the troops matters.

00:46:08.000 That has been out there and done that before.

00:46:10.000 And hopefully that's a motivating factor for young people.

00:46:13.000 But the reality of obesity and criminal backgrounds and medical problems have long been an issue of recruitment in America, unfortunately.

00:46:24.000 What changed is the perception of military service.

00:46:28.000 Because of the condition of the services.

00:46:30.000 And frankly, because of, in some ways, the way our schools don't teach young people to love the country anymore.

00:46:34.000 And if you don't love the country, why do you want to serve that country?

00:46:36.000 That's a deeper problem.

00:46:38.000 But all of those things need to be addressed to revive recruiting.

00:46:42.000 And obesity is certainly a part of it.

00:46:44.000 Thank you for that.

00:46:45.000 So I've had multiple conversations, young folks back in North Carolina, young men, young women.

00:46:51.000 And we get to meet a lot of them.

00:46:53.000 But, you know, I hear from some of these folks.

00:46:57.000 Senator, absolutely.

00:47:14.000 A number one from day one with a mandate from the commander-in-chief.

00:47:21.000 Received that mandate when Americans spoke out loudly and said, we want peace through strength.

00:47:26.000 We want America first foreign policy.

00:47:28.000 And we don't want political ideology driving decisions inside our Defense Department.

00:47:34.000 That was clear.

00:47:35.000 It's an infection that the American people are acutely aware of, which the men and women in this room have lived firsthand.

00:47:42.000 I've lived it firsthand.

00:47:44.000 And that's why it will be a priority.

00:47:46.000 And I truly believe, and I'm humbled by this.

00:47:49.000 The response we've already seen from young men and women who've decided to join the military when they had said, I wasn't going to.

00:47:58.000 But seeing a commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, reassured them.

00:48:02.000 Seeing the possibility, if confirmed, of a secretary of defense that would have their back reassured them.

00:48:07.000 And so in the first couple of months after President Trump...

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00:49:14.000 While we continue to research and develop six-generation and collaborative combat aircraft.

00:49:20.000 Senator, that's a very important conversation, one that I've been looking at a great deal.

00:49:25.000 A lot of it, just to be clear, involves classifications and understanding precisely cost and capabilities, including capabilities of enemy systems.

00:49:36.000 Both not just fourth and fifth, but potential sixth generation, which we've already seen a prototype released from the Chinese.

00:49:43.000 That's a dangerous development considering at least the publicly understood condition of NGAD, which I look forward to the opportunity to looking underneath the hood on that.

00:49:51.000 But ensuring fourth and fifth are capable and upgraded as necessary will be a part of our contingency.

00:50:00.000 But when you look at what's happening in the Indo-Pacific, say, operability, range, Is it going to matter because it's such a large battle space?

00:50:09.000 That will all factor in decisions that are made.

00:50:12.000 And that's where I feel, frankly, a little bit liberated.

00:50:16.000 That I didn't work at Lockheed or any number of...

00:50:20.000 Pick a defense contractor.

00:50:21.000 I didn't mean to point one out in particular.

00:50:23.000 Pick any.

00:50:23.000 I haven't.

00:50:24.000 I don't have a special interest in any particular system or any particular company or any particular narrative.

00:50:30.000 I want to know what works.

00:50:32.000 I want to know what defeats our enemies, what keeps us safe, what deters them, what keeps our enemies up at night.

00:50:38.000 Whatever that is, I want more of it.

00:50:40.000 And I want to invest in it.

00:50:42.000 And I know that's the view that President Trump has as well.

00:50:44.000 Thank you.

00:50:45.000 Some have commented recently about the need to eliminate immediately a manned aircraft.

00:50:51.000 So I'd say maybe one day, but that day's not now, and certainly not before 2027, especially in the Indo-Pacific.

00:50:58.000 So if confirmed, will you commit to work with my office in this committee to ensure the proper mix of fighters, manned and unmanned?

00:51:06.000 I look forward to working with you on that, Senator, because unmanned will be a very important part of the way future wars are fought.

00:51:14.000 Just the idea of survivability for a human being drives cost and time in ways that unmanned systems do not.

00:51:20.000 But I look forward to that conversation.

00:51:22.000 Thank you, Senator Budd.

00:51:24.000 I now recognize Senator Reid for a unanimous consent request.

00:51:28.000 Mr. Chairman, I would ask unanimous consent that two letters be submitted for the record.

00:51:32.000 One letter is signed by numerous organizations, including the Government Accountability Project.

00:51:38.000 The other is signed by several organizations, including the Truman National Security Project.

00:51:43.000 Without objection, so ordered.

00:51:46.000 Now, Senator Kelly, Senator Rosen got here after the gavel went down.

00:51:54.000 Do you really want to go ahead of her?

00:51:56.000 I am going to defer to my good friend and colleague, Senator Rosen, from the great state of Nevada.

00:52:02.000 That is a really good decision.

00:52:04.000 Senator Rosen, you are recognized.

00:52:07.000 And thank you, Senator Kelly.

00:52:08.000 I owe you one.

00:52:09.000 Thank you, Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, for holding this hearing.

00:52:13.000 And Mr. Hegseth, I appreciate your service and your willingness to serve again.

00:52:19.000 However, I am deeply disappointed that you would not agree to meet with me, as other members have said on this committee prior to this hearing, as is the precedent for this committee and others.

00:52:29.000 So let me tell you a little bit about what I would have talked about had you made yourself available prior to the hearing.

00:52:36.000 Nevada is home to the premier aviation training ranges for both the Air Force and the Navy, the largest ammunition depot in the world and the only place in the country where we are able to verify the reliability of our nuclear stockpile without the need for explosive testing.

00:52:53.000 The Nevada National Guard is one of the only few units across the country with the mission of fighting wildfires, that's for another hearing, and currently activated to fight the devastating fires around Los Angeles in support of our neighbors.

00:53:06.000 We therefore play a critical role in our national security, and the person who holds the position of Secretary of Defense matters greatly to Nevada service members and our military equities.

00:53:17.000 But every single...

00:53:20.000 Person who serves in the military.

00:53:22.000 We've talked about, my colleagues, esteemed colleagues, have talked about recruitment and retention.

00:53:26.000 One day, they will become a veteran.

00:53:29.000 So my veterans and the folks who are serving active duty now are concerned about what you think.

00:53:37.000 DOD does not have jurisdiction over Nevada's 200,000 plus veterans, but I am interested in your views about...

00:53:45.000 The service members, once they've transitioned out of the military, given the influence you would have while they're in service, have confirmed.

00:53:51.000 In 2019, on a segment of Fox& Friends, you said that veteran service organizations, VSOs, I'm going to quote, encourage veterans to apply for every government benefit they can ever get after they leave the service.

00:54:03.000 You stated you don't want to, quote, be dependent on government assistance from the VA based on injuries or illnesses that might have arisen from your military service.

00:54:12.000 So I'm just going to ask you a few yes or no questions about veterans.

00:54:15.000 Understanding you don't have jurisdiction, this is important to our morale, it's important to our recruitment, and it's important to our retention, and it's important to how we respect others in this country.

00:54:28.000 Yes or no, please.

00:54:29.000 Do you believe that VSOs are wrong to support veterans in obtaining the benefits that they have rightfully earned and deserved when they signed that line like you did for your service?

00:54:38.000 Senator, veterans deserve the benefits they've earned.

00:54:42.000 I have been in many battles with traditional veteran service organizations over differences of opinion about how to deliver those services, including veterans' choice.

00:54:50.000 Do you believe VSOs are wrong?

00:54:52.000 VSOs is a very broad term.

00:54:54.000 We were a VSO also, ma'am.

00:54:55.000 But some of those services took a traditionally bureaucratic approach.

00:54:58.000 Should they be able to help the veterans obtain the benefits that they have earned, yes or no?

00:55:04.000 Should anyone be able to help?

00:55:05.000 Every veteran should have rapid access to all the benefits that they've earned.

00:55:09.000 Do you believe that veterans should be ashamed for having sought and obtained the benefits that they have earned?

00:55:13.000 Do you think veterans should be ashamed?

00:55:16.000 Senator, I think we should be ashamed as a nation of the amount of veterans that commit suicide because they hit a brick wall.

00:55:22.000 They commit suicide because they hit a brick wall of the bureaucracy of the VA. And the reformers are not courage enough.

00:55:28.000 How about veterans who suffer lasting injuries or illnesses due to their military service?

00:55:33.000 Do you think they deserve our support and assistance?

00:55:36.000 I mean, your answers to these, they're too broad.

00:55:40.000 People want to know.

00:55:41.000 Are you willing to support our veterans' organizations that will help our veterans get every damn thing that they deserve because they signed on the dotted line to keep us safe, just like you did?

00:55:53.000 I respect that.

00:55:55.000 Will you?

00:55:56.000 Senator, with all due humility, I don't know that there's anyone in this room over the last 20 years that have worked harder to ensure.

00:56:03.000 That our veterans are taken care of.

00:56:05.000 It has been a passion of my life, alongside with so many on this dais, to make sure that veterans receive...

00:56:11.000 And it is a recruiting crisis.

00:56:12.000 When veterans are not treated well, they don't want their sons and daughters to join.

00:56:17.000 Do you believe that veterans getting these benefits are dependent on the government?

00:56:21.000 Or do you believe it's a benefit they've earned and deserved through their service?

00:56:25.000 It's a benefit they've earned and a hand up to the next chapter of their life.

00:56:28.000 So you have again changed your position.

00:56:30.000 Where you believe the veterans are dependent...

00:56:33.000 Now you believe they've earned and deserved it.

00:56:35.000 I just think it's disrespectful to change that position.

00:56:38.000 These are benefits that people may need throughout their life and may not know when they need them or how they're going to need them.

00:56:48.000 And they need to be there when they do.

00:56:50.000 Thank you.

00:56:51.000 I'm going to move on to my next question.

00:56:54.000 America's role in the world.

00:56:58.000 Our alliance is the threats America is facing.

00:57:01.000 They're serious.

00:57:02.000 They're wide-ranging from China to Russia to Iranian-backed terrorism.

00:57:06.000 So do you agree with the National Defense Strategy that the U.S. cannot compete with China, Russia, and their partners alone and certainly cannot win a war that way?

00:57:16.000 And this is a quote from the National Defense Strategy.

00:57:18.000 Is your interpretation that American first foreign policy is America alone?

00:57:23.000 Does that include abandoning our allies and partners such as NATO, Taiwan, Israel, and others?

00:57:29.000 And if we can't win alone and we don't strengthen our strategic partnerships, I would say that position, your position, places on a strategic path to lose to our adversaries.

00:57:40.000 So maybe you're okay with choosing that path for America.

00:57:43.000 I want to know how you square that position with the positions you articulated in your book where you wrote that NATO is at relic, at best a distraction, and should be scrapped and remade.

00:57:55.000 Are you okay with sending us down a path where we can't win?

00:57:59.000 Senator, the world has had, our friends in the world have had no better ally.

00:58:04.000 Our allies have had no better friend than President Donald Trump, who's reinvigorated a NATO alliance, who's stood behind Israel in every way, in ways this administration has not.

00:58:14.000 He has ensured that the NATO alliance has become far more robust.

00:58:19.000 He worked with allies in the Pacific as well.

00:58:22.000 All right.

00:58:23.000 Jackie Rosen is making a fool of herself here. 1.00

00:58:25.000 A senator from Nevada who should not be a U.S. senator as she exchanges some spicy words with Pete Hegseth, our next Secretary of Defense. 0.98

00:58:35.000 Let's listen in.

00:58:36.000 ...best guidance to the President of the United States on matters like that.

00:58:39.000 Do you think that if we concede to Vladimir Putin that that will hurt our credibility with our allies and partners?

00:58:46.000 And do you not believe that our adversaries are watching?

00:58:49.000 Perhaps some.

00:58:49.000 You can take that for the record, Mr. Hegseth.

00:58:52.000 Senator Schmidt.

00:58:54.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:58:55.000 I'd like to submit for the record a letter submitted by Mr. Christopher Ahn, the former Director of Operations for Vets for Freedom.

00:59:01.000 Mr. Ahn, his letter states that the suggestion, quote, the suggestion that funds were misused for personal gain, lavish parties, or other improper purposes is categorically false.

00:59:10.000 Throughout my time working with Pete Hexep, He consistently demonstrated exceptional integrity in leadership.

00:59:16.000 I asked unanimous consent to enter this letter into the record.

00:59:19.000 Without objection, so ordered.

00:59:21.000 Senator Schmidt.

00:59:22.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:59:22.000 Mr. Hexth, good to see you here today.

00:59:24.000 Thank you for your service.

00:59:25.000 Thank you, Senator.

00:59:25.000 And your willingness to serve.

00:59:27.000 I also want to thank you for your clarity in articulating the vision you have for the Department of Defense in restoring an ethos, a warrior ethos.

00:59:42.000 Which is in stark contrast to the ethos we've seen the last four years, which is of weakness and wokeness.

00:59:48.000 And I want to drill down on a few things specifically and exactly how we've gotten to where we've gotten with recruiting and morale.

00:59:57.000 DEI. There's been a little bit of discussion about this, but for those watching at home, DEI is not about giving everybody opportunity.

01:00:05.000 It is rooted in cultural Marxism.

01:00:08.000 The idea that you pit the room, any room, With oppressor versus oppressed.

01:00:14.000 It's race essentialism, and it is poison. 0.89

01:00:17.000 It has no business whatsoever in our military.

01:00:21.000 I think the American people have spoken loudly and clearly about this.

01:00:25.000 They're tired of this.

01:00:26.000 They're tired of woke ideology.

01:00:29.000 And to my Democrat colleagues on the other side, if you haven't picked up on that, you missed the plot.

01:00:35.000 Because that's what November 5th partially was about.

01:00:37.000 And so let's talk specifically about some of these DEI programs that have been funded.

01:00:42.000 In our academy, specifically the Air Force Academy, it was advised as disfavored language to refer to your mom and dad as mom and dad.

01:00:57.000 Okay?

01:00:58.000 Dear mom and dad, I'm writing home.

01:01:00.000 Don't say that.

01:01:01.000 That's insane.

01:01:04.000 We're all just people.

01:01:05.000 You can't say that either.

01:01:07.000 And in an effort to police this, in a 1984 Orwellian novel, there was actually an eyes and ears program to rat on your fellow students who might say mom and dad.

01:01:22.000 Or just say, in a tough situation, you know what?

01:01:25.000 We're all just people.

01:01:26.000 Can't say that.

01:01:27.000 This wasn't limited, by the way, to our academies.

01:01:33.000 The Secretary of the Air Force, our current Secretary of the Air Force, in a memo from August of 2022, thought we had too many white officers advocated for quotas.

01:01:47.000 And if you crunch the numbers, that meant that 5,800 white officers who've worked really hard should be fired. 0.65

01:01:56.000 In the United States of America, I don't know how we got here.

01:02:01.000 And by the way, the Air Force isn't alone here.

01:02:03.000 The Navy sort of touted a drag queen influencer. 1.00

01:02:08.000 This stuff is insane.

01:02:09.000 And people wonder why recruiting has dropped off.

01:02:12.000 And let me just go through a few numbers, and I want to get your comments on how we fix this, because it's gone completely off the rails.

01:02:18.000 In 2022, the Army missed their recruiting goal of 60,000 soldiers by over 15,000.

01:02:25.000 In 2023, the Navy missed their recruiting goals by over 7,000.

01:02:30.000 In 2022, the Air Force couldn't meet their standards, their numbers, even though they lowered their standards.

01:02:40.000 They've lowered their standards to meet numbers they still can't get to.

01:02:44.000 Mr. Hexeth, we've got to fix this.

01:02:48.000 I think what you've demonstrated today is that you have the talent and the ability and the desire to fix it.

01:02:55.000 How are you going to fix it?

01:02:57.000 Well, Senator, thank you for the question.

01:02:59.000 First and foremost, up front, you have to tear out DEI and CRT initiatives, root and branch, out of institutions.

01:03:07.000 100%.

01:03:08.000 And then you have to put in Army, Navy, and Air Force secretaries and others, civilian positions at the helm, who are committed to the same priorities that the President of the United States is, and if confirmed, the Secretary of Defense will be.

01:03:21.000 Send a clear message that this is not a time for equity.

01:03:25.000 Equity is a very different word than equality.

01:03:28.000 Equality is the bedrock of our military.

01:03:31.000 Men and women, duty positions in uniform, black, white, doesn't matter.

01:03:35.000 We treat you equally based on who you are in the image of God as an individual.

01:03:40.000 And we all get the same bad haircuts.

01:03:44.000 You're not an individual.

01:03:45.000 You're part of a group.

01:03:46.000 Equity prescribes some sort of an outcome based on differing attributes that we have that divide us.

01:03:53.000 What skin color are you?

01:03:55.000 What gender are you?

01:03:57.000 And then infuse that into institutions which manifest in things like quotas, formal or informal, which does what to morale?

01:04:04.000 Sends it in the tubes.

01:04:06.000 And it makes people feel like they're being judged by something other than how good they are at their job, which is poisonous inside institutions.

01:04:13.000 So on top of this recruiting crisis, that wasn't enough for this administration.

01:04:18.000 during the COVID hysteria and in their attempt to fire 100,000 people who work for bigger companies because they didn't get the COVID shot or to mask five-year-olds, they decided also to make this a central plank in their policy at the Pentagon.

01:04:33.000 8,000 well-trained, so we got a recruiting crisis, 8,000 well-trained men and women were fired.

01:04:43.000 Were fired.

01:04:44.000 Will you commit today, Mr. Hexeth, to recruit these folks back?

01:04:50.000 To give them back pay and give them an apology from the United States government for how they were disrespected.

01:04:57.000 Senator, I will commit to this because the Commander-in-Chief has committed to this.

01:05:02.000 That not only will they be reinstated, they will receive an apology, back pay, and rank that they lost because they were forced out due to an experimental vaccine.

01:05:13.000 Thank you.

01:05:14.000 And I'm a limited time, but I just want to say, for all the talk...

01:05:18.000 of experience and not coming from the same cocktail parties that permanent Washington is used to.

01:05:26.000 You are a breath of fresh air.

01:05:28.000 And again, if you weren't paying attention to what this election was all about, it was about the disruptors versus the establishment.

01:05:36.000 And the American people have had enough of business as usual for the same people that we line up for these same jobs who give us the same results.

01:05:44.000 We need somebody who's going to go in there and fight for innovation, fight for change.

01:05:49.000 I think you're that person, and I appreciate your willingness to sit here and listen to some of these undignified attacks.

01:05:56.000 It's ridiculous.

01:05:57.000 Thank you.

01:05:58.000 Captain Mark Kelly.

01:05:59.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:06:02.000 Congratulations on your chairmanship.

01:06:04.000 I want to make a request to the committee that we have a second round of questions.

01:06:10.000 Pursuant to the bipartisan staff agreement that we reached late last year, this will be one round of seven-minute questions.

01:06:24.000 Thank you.

01:06:24.000 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

01:06:26.000 I'll be happy to recognize my colleague, Mr. Reid.

01:06:29.000 I think it's important to note, for the record, that when Secretary Hagel was here, we had three rounds of questioning.

01:06:36.000 When Secretary Carter was here, we had two rounds of questioning.

01:06:41.000 And I cannot recall any time where I have denied, as a chairman, a member to ask for a second round and receive the second round.

01:06:51.000 So we are, I think, violating the principles of the committee.

01:06:56.000 And I just want to go on the record.

01:06:57.000 And your comment is noted.

01:07:01.000 Thank you.

01:07:03.000 Mr. Hexeth, thank you for being here today.

01:07:06.000 Thank you for your service to this country.

01:07:08.000 Thank you, Senator.

01:07:09.000 A few nominees come into this room with all the necessary experience to do this job, to be Secretary of Defense.

01:07:15.000 We get that.

01:07:16.000 It's a reflection on just how big of a job this is.

01:07:21.000 What I want to understand is whether or not you bring any of the necessary experience that this job requires.

01:07:29.000 And here's where I'm concerned.

01:07:32.000 Senator Coleman introducing you.

01:07:35.000 And this is a quote.

01:07:36.000 He said he has struggled and overcome great personal challenges.

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01:08:42.000 Let's go back to Senator Mark Kelly, who is asking our next Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth questions.

01:08:50.000 ...at the CBA Christmas Party at the Grand High at Washington, D.C.

01:08:56.000 You were noticeably intoxicated and had to be carried up to your room.

01:09:01.000 Is that true or false?

01:09:02.000 Anonymous smears.

01:09:04.000 Another time, a CBA staffer stated that you passed out in the back of a party bus.

01:09:10.000 Is that true or false?

01:09:11.000 Anonymous smears.

01:09:13.000 In 2014, while in Louisiana on official business for CBA, did you take your staff, including young female staff members, to a strip club?

01:09:26.000 Absolutely not.

01:09:27.000 Anonymous smears.

01:09:28.000 So, is it accurate that the organization reached a financial settlement with a female staffer who claimed to be at a strip club with you, and there was a colleague who attempted to sexually assault her?

01:09:50.000 Was there a financial settlement?

01:09:54.000 Senator, I was not involved in that.

01:09:56.000 I don't know the nature of how that played out.

01:10:00.000 But you understand there was a financial settlement for a young female staffer who accused another member of the organization, not you, of sexual assault in a strip club?

01:10:13.000 We have multiple statements on the record referring to that.

01:10:16.000 But you claim you were not there when that occurred?

01:10:20.000 Absolutely not.

01:10:24.000 Now, the behavior I cited, if true, do you think that this behavior of intoxication, going into these type of establishments, women on your staff being so uncomfortable that they have to file these sort of harassment claims, do you think this is appropriate behavior for a leader?

01:10:47.000 Senator, the overwhelming majority of anyone who's worked for me, including the on-the-record statements that have been submitted to this, with their name on it, on the record, men and women who worked with me every day, are the overwhelming preponderance of evidence that testify to my leadership and professionalism in leading Vets are the overwhelming preponderance of evidence that testify to my leadership and professionalism in leading Vets for

01:11:07.000 My leadership has been completely impugned on these veterans organizations that did fantastic work on behalf of the men and women fighting overseas and advocating, and we manage our financial books with integrity across the board.

01:11:22.000 How many people, everybody who runs the campaign- I have limited time.

01:11:25.000 I'm not going to get into the...

01:11:26.000 Accusations that come from Fox News.

01:11:28.000 Now you have some of your Fox News colleagues here.

01:11:30.000 There are multiple instances of accusations against you about drinking on the job.

01:11:36.000 All anonymous, all false, all refuted by my colleagues, who I worked with for 10 years at 6 a.m.

01:11:43.000 to 9 p.m.

01:11:44.000 and everything in between.

01:11:45.000 The challenge here for me, Mr. Hexap, is when there is discussion about personal challenges and you, admittedly, I have about 90 seconds left here.

01:12:07.000 If you had to answer these questions about sexual assault against you and your drinking and your personal conduct, would it have been different if you were under oath?

01:12:19.000 Senator, all I'm pointing out is the false claims against me.

01:12:24.000 Okay, I take it you do not want to answer that question.

01:12:26.000 I walked into this hearing this morning concerned that you haven't demonstrated adequate leadership in your civilian roles.

01:12:36.000 And this is a dangerous world we're living in here.

01:12:38.000 And America cannot afford a Secretary of Defense who is unprepared for that mission.

01:12:44.000 I'm going to leave with concerns about your transparency.

01:12:47.000 You say you've had personal issues in your past, yet when asked about those very issues, you blame an anonymous smear campaign, even when many of these claims are not anonymous.

01:13:00.000 Which is it?

01:13:01.000 Have you overcome personal issues?

01:13:03.000 Okay, everybody.

01:13:04.000 Senator Mark Kelly is wrapping up with Pete Hegseth.

01:13:07.000 I want to actually hear from someone who's been in the room to fight for Pete Hegseth.

01:13:12.000 It is Kaj Larson, who is running SEALs for Pete Hegseth.

01:13:16.000 Kaj, welcome to the program.

01:13:18.000 Kaj, tell us what you are seeing up close and personal in the room here and how your friend Pete Hegseth is doing.

01:13:24.000 Yeah, absolutely.

01:13:24.000 And Charlie, it's an honor to be on.

01:13:26.000 I actually just stepped out of the hearing room to speak with you and your audience right now.

01:13:30.000 As you've seen, it's followed back and forth between being cantankerous with some of the senators and other senators appreciating the support for Pete's nomination.

01:13:41.000 I think the most important thing to take away from actually inside the hearing room is that there are about 50 Special Operations veterans inside the room there to support Pete.

01:13:56.000 Special MMA fighters.

01:13:57.000 That's probably the most lethal room in America right now.

01:14:01.000 And what that means, beyond being a badass room, is that in the special operations community, when we go through selection process, we use peer review as a really critical, essential tool to select the best of the best.

01:14:13.000 Essentially, you see Pete Hegseth being peer reviewed by the actual war fighters in the room right now.

01:14:19.000 And people who have served with Pete, people who have gone through arduous experiences with Pete are there to support him.

01:14:27.000 And I think that's being reflected in the testimony.

01:14:29.000 So let's talk about the military standards and how they have been relaxed and how they're different for males and females.

01:14:38.000 And this has been a big issue made in this committee hearing.

01:14:42.000 What is the truth regarding this?

01:14:44.000 Yeah, absolutely.

01:14:44.000 I think that it's been a sticking point in several of the Q&As back and forth with the different senators.

01:14:51.000 I think the important thing to emphasize is that Pete wants to return military culture to a culture that's front-site focused on warfighting.

01:14:59.000 And in order to do that, he believes that we have to maintain extraordinarily high standards.

01:15:04.000 There's been a lot of discussion about this, but sitting in the back of the room, my opinion is actually not that much white space.

01:15:13.000 There's unanimous consent agreement that there should be really high standards for our warfighters, and they should be vigorously enforced.

01:15:21.000 And both centers on both sides of the aisle and the prospective nominee, Pete Hegseth, seem to be incongruent about that, where it seems to be breaking down.

01:15:32.000 There's a sort of series of kind of like ad hominem or sort of personal attacks, but that neglects the bigger issues that everybody...

01:15:40.000 Both on the dais up there and then Pete sitting in the hot seat, everybody there actually cares about national security really deeply.

01:15:48.000 From the back of the room, I wish they'd spend a lot more time focusing on the big stuff that everybody's concerned about rather than the small stuff.

01:15:55.000 In closing here, Kaj, because I know we've got to get back in, what do you think Pete Hegseth will do for military recruitment and morale?

01:16:01.000 Yeah, I think the truth is Pete's already done it.

01:16:05.000 Look, we're...

01:16:07.000 As the hearing started off, you saw the Senate committee chair say that we're living in a moment of consequence.

01:16:13.000 We're at one of the most volatile periods in global history.

01:16:17.000 Africa, Special Operations Command, Africa specifically, is at the most volatile time on the continent in the last many decades.

01:16:26.000 So these are dangerous times, requires transformational leadership, and it's going to require a new generation of warfighters.

01:16:32.000 There's no better testament to the ability to inspire and move people towards a mission than all of these former warfighters who spent the last 20 years fighting the global war on terror, mobilized to be motivated for PEAT, come out and support PEAT. So I think that bodes pretty well for recruitment.

01:16:50.000 And the next generation of warfighters.

01:16:52.000 I think, empirically, there's already been a spike in recruitment.

01:16:56.000 And I think that's because a lot of the American public is aligned with the values that Pete espouses.

01:17:02.000 Taj, thank you so much for your time.

01:17:04.000 Get back in the room and keep on supporting Pete.

01:17:06.000 Thank you so much.

01:17:07.000 Thank you, Charles.

01:17:08.000 Email us, as always, freedom at charliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast.

01:17:13.000 Open up your podcast application and type in Charlie Kirk Show.

01:17:16.000 We are going to continue with the...

01:17:19.000 I really do think it comes back to strong, clear leadership.

01:17:46.000 Patriotic, pro-American leadership. 0.93

01:17:49.000 That says we're not going to focus on all the other political prerogatives.

01:17:53.000 That's why we all have political perspectives.

01:17:56.000 I said this before and I'll say it again.

01:17:58.000 In uniform, none of that matters.

01:18:00.000 You wear green, you wear blue, you bleed red.

01:18:02.000 That's it.

01:18:03.000 Who you vote for doesn't matter.

01:18:05.000 But when the perception of that changes, then you don't want people deciding whether to serve based on a political party in power.

01:18:12.000 That's a dangerous thing for continuity inside your military.

01:18:15.000 And it's fragile right now.

01:18:17.000 President Trump.

01:18:18.000 And if I'm confirmed with my leadership, we're going to restore the continuity of an apolitical military that acts decisively and only based on merit.

01:18:27.000 They sound basic, but they're fundamental.

01:18:30.000 You and I agree that wokeness is weakness. 0.99

01:18:32.000 Mr. Hexet, do you support racial quotas in recruitment or promotions in the United States military?

01:18:38.000 Senator, I do not support any form of racial quota.

01:18:42.000 Do you support affirmative action in our nation's military academies?

01:18:46.000 Senator, I only support hiring and promoting and admitting the best and brightest, whatever their background is.

01:18:53.000 I think that's very important.

01:18:55.000 Mr. Hex said Lloyd Austin, the secretary, later went AWOL. He disappeared for days and never told the president, didn't even inform the president's chief of staff that he was going into the hospital.

01:19:06.000 Would that ever occur on your watch?

01:19:10.000 No, Senator.

01:19:11.000 I know in any one of my jobs, if I had decided to go AWOL for even a day or two, in uniform or around that, that would have been a concern.

01:19:19.000 I believe accountability matters.

01:19:21.000 No one to this day has ever, as you've said, been held accountable for what happened in Afghanistan.

01:19:25.000 It was embarrassing to this country.

01:19:27.000 It's impacted this country greatly.

01:19:29.000 And I applaud you and President Trump for bringing accountability back to our Pentagon.

01:19:33.000 With that, I yield back.

01:19:36.000 Chair recognizes the distinguished ranking member for a unanimous consent request.

01:19:41.000 Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit an article discussing some of the issues of readiness and DEI. There has been a comment that 5.9 million man-hours have been used for DEI. General Maia clarified that that is an estimate out of more than two.

01:20:04.000 Million man-hours that the Department of Defense invested during the time period.

01:20:10.000 Where is this published, sir?

01:20:12.000 This is published by Megan Myers, and I will get the...

01:20:18.000 Okay.

01:20:21.000 Military.com, I'm sorry.

01:20:23.000 Without objection, it will be admitted to the record.

01:20:27.000 And Senator Slotkin, welcome to the committee and your record.

01:20:32.000 Thank you, Senator, and thank you for referencing the great Carl Levin as you introduced me.

01:20:37.000 We miss him in Michigan.

01:20:39.000 For those who I haven't met in my one week that I've been sworn into the Senate, I'm a CIA officer recruited after 9-11.

01:20:46.000 I did three tours armed in Iraq alongside the military.

01:20:51.000 And have worked for four different secretaries of defense, both Democrat and Republican, proudly, and watched them make decisions that literally determine the life and death of Americans in the dark of night.

01:21:03.000 I'm also a Democrat representing a state that Trump won, right?

01:21:07.000 We both won on the same ballot.

01:21:09.000 So I understand that President Trump has the right to nominate his people.

01:21:13.000 We are going to have policies that we disagree with.

01:21:16.000 All of that, to me, comes very standard.

01:21:19.000 What I think I'm most concerned with is that no president has the right to use the uniformed military in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution and further taints the military as that apolitical institution that we all want.

01:21:34.000 And our founders designed the system so that...

01:21:38.000 You know, we had posse comitatus, that we weren't going to use active duty military inside the United States and make American citizens potentially scared of their own military.

01:21:49.000 We went through our own experience with that with the British. 1.00

01:21:52.000 As the Secretary of Defense, you will be the one man standing in the breach should President Trump give an illegal order.

01:22:00.000 I'm not saying he will, but if he does, you are going to be the guy that he calls to implement this order.

01:22:07.000 Do you agree that there are some orders that can be given by the Commander-in-Chief that would violate the U.S. Constitution?

01:22:15.000 Senator, thank you for your service.

01:22:17.000 But I reject the premise that President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders.

01:22:21.000 No, I'm not saying he will.

01:22:22.000 But do you believe there is such a thing as an illegal order that Joe Biden or any other president Donald Trump could give?

01:22:28.000 Is there anything that a commander-in-chief could ask you to do with the uniformed military that would be in violation of the U.S. Constitution?

01:22:37.000 Anybody of any party could give an order that is against the Constitution or against the law.

01:22:42.000 Right.

01:22:43.000 Okay, so are you saying that you would stand in the breach and push back if you were given an illegal order?

01:22:49.000 I start by saying I reject the premise that President Trump...

01:22:54.000 Hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here with New Year's Resolutions.

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01:23:56.000 The dialogue between Ms. Slotkin, Senator Slotkin, very tight Senate race there in Michigan, and Pete Hegseth is continuing.

01:24:03.000 But now I want to invite a fan favorite of the program, Mark Halperin, political reporter.

01:24:09.000 Mark Halperin's Wide World of News, but also two-way TV, which I am going to join at some point.

01:24:16.000 Mark, welcome back to the program.

01:24:17.000 Thanks for having me back, but I need to say I'm a bit angry.

01:24:20.000 Tell me why.

01:24:21.000 Read to you from my wristband.

01:24:23.000 My video podcast host went to Greenland and all I got was this lousy wristband.

01:24:29.000 Dude, you brought me nothing.

01:24:30.000 You brought me literally nothing.

01:24:33.000 That is so funny.

01:24:35.000 How do you explain that?

01:24:37.000 Not even a moose burger.

01:24:39.000 No, it's very interesting.

01:24:41.000 You might be in the running, Mark.

01:24:43.000 I bought a bunch of tourist trap stuff, including seal fur.

01:24:48.000 And, you know, local delicacies.

01:24:51.000 So you might be in the running for some reindeer sausage.

01:24:54.000 Okay, that'd be better than this crummy wristband.

01:24:57.000 At the inauguration, if we run into each other, I'll give you some reindeer sausage.

01:25:01.000 Not a joke, by the way.

01:25:02.000 I'll see you there.

01:25:02.000 I'll be at the VIP lounge with you.

01:25:05.000 That's right.

01:25:07.000 No, that's a separate topic for another time, one of the most fun I've ever had.

01:25:11.000 Mark, I see that you may or may not be in an airport, which I've actually done many hits from an airport.

01:25:16.000 Either that or it's a very convincing green screen.

01:25:20.000 I've done many hits from airports, so I totally get it.

01:25:24.000 I won't tell you which one, but it's named after a very prominent conservative Republican president.

01:25:28.000 I think you're at Reagan.

01:25:30.000 I was going to say, well, I thought it was, if I'm not wrong, just based on the background and the aesthetic, I've spent many a time in Reagan.

01:25:37.000 So, Mark, I know you've been catching some of the hearing here.

01:25:42.000 What is your analysis, and do you think Pete Hegseth is likely to become the Secretary of Defense?

01:25:47.000 I think he will unless there's a bunch of Republicans who secretly have said they're going to vote no and they're just being encouraging at the hearings to avoid conflict with MAGA.

01:25:59.000 Democrats, I think, have done a pretty good job better than the opposition party typically does of having their topics organized and focusing pretty well on the things they wanted to bring out.

01:26:11.000 But there's no bombshell.

01:26:13.000 As far as we know, there's no star witness.

01:26:14.000 The chairman's holding firm, as he just reported.

01:26:16.000 No additional rounds of questioning and nothing the Democrats did because the witness was very well prepared.

01:26:25.000 He didn't lose his temper.

01:26:26.000 He didn't say things he shouldn't have said.

01:26:29.000 He didn't create damaging soundbites.

01:26:31.000 He was a case study, just as his team was a case study in November and December to get him to this point.

01:26:38.000 He was a case study in how to handle tough questioning, and none of the Republicans seemed the least bit concerned on the committee.

01:26:45.000 Now, Senator Cox from Utah said this morning that he's undecided, and if people suspicion that Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins might vote a no, means the committee may be misleading.

01:26:58.000 The committee is pretty supportive in the main, and the candidates to vote no are largely not on the committee.

01:27:05.000 So I don't think he's out of the woods yet, but I do think it appears he'll get a favorable vote in the committee.

01:27:10.000 And then once he's on the floor, I think President Trump can put down a fair amount of pressure if there is.

01:27:18.000 So let me ask you, Mark, the whole slate, it seemed as if things were not going great for Pete, but then, of course, there was this threat of primary challenging that we may or may not have been involved in.

01:27:31.000 Do you think that changed the direction of the future of the whole slate being confirmed?

01:27:36.000 I think three things happened that changed the direction of the slate.

01:27:40.000 First of all, you and your colleagues made it clear.

01:27:44.000 And people try to cast this as something evil and dark.

01:27:47.000 It just made it clear that there'd be accountability for those who didn't support the president's nominees.

01:27:52.000 And I think some of the senators got that message.

01:27:55.000 They're not interested in going against the energy of the party.

01:27:58.000 Number two, I think the team's geared up, right?

01:28:01.000 When you're nominated for something, you get a Sherpa, you get a press aide, you get a small team of folks, usually a former senator.

01:28:08.000 To help guide you through the process and interact with the Senate offices.

01:28:13.000 And I think those teams weren't necessarily up and running in every case.

01:28:16.000 And now they are.

01:28:17.000 And I think they've hired really good people for that.

01:28:19.000 Finally, you know, if you look at the sum total besides Pete Hegson, there haven't been big revelations about Tulsi Gabbard, about Bobby Kennedy, about, I'm blanking on his name, the FBI nominee, Kash Patel.

01:28:37.000 There just haven't been revelations.

01:28:38.000 And so it's easy for the senators and for folks like you to say, these are old stories.

01:28:45.000 You know, we're moving on.

01:28:46.000 We're focused on the positive.

01:28:48.000 So I think those three things have combined to create a very positive situation.

01:28:53.000 And last, I'll just say, and I've reported this before, and I know you know it, the level of communication between Mar-a-Lago, folks like you, the senators who are most supportive, Senator Thune.

01:29:05.000 It's remarkable.

01:29:07.000 The text change and the constant communication to be right on top of any weak points is just a model for how this stuff works.

01:29:15.000 And the Democrats really are not in a position to match that now.

01:29:18.000 So, yeah, this is really kind of the first online administration when you think about it.

01:29:21.000 And it's real time and it's interactive.

01:29:24.000 Can you comment on that, Mark?

01:29:25.000 It's a little bit of kind of next-gen political warfare.

01:29:28.000 Yeah, I mean...

01:29:29.000 You know, in the olden days, when I was your age, we had war rooms, right?

01:29:34.000 And people sat in there with analog telephones and no email.

01:29:37.000 And, you know, you were rapid responsive.

01:29:40.000 You wrote and sent out a blast fax within half an hour.

01:29:45.000 You all are 24-7 online, on phones primarily, able to, and consuming a lot of incoming.

01:29:53.000 So if, you know, Elizabeth Warren writes an 80-page letter saying, here are all my questions.

01:29:59.000 It's not like the next afternoon you all are up and running and figuring out what, if anything, do we need to do about this?

01:30:04.000 It's instantaneous analysis, communications, decision-making, execution.

01:30:10.000 And it's with a group of people who are all very, very online and who have a metabolism.

01:30:16.000 Not everybody's metabolism is quite as great as yours for this stuff, but most everybody is.

01:30:21.000 And I think people like you and Elon Musk and Steve Bannon kind of set the pace.

01:30:27.000 For others and cause others who might have more children or need more sleep or interested in spending three hours with a football game to say, hey, you know, I can't do that right now.

01:30:39.000 That's a critical period for the revolution.

01:30:41.000 So we need to be up and running and keeping pace with the guys and gals who set the pace, which is, again, very online, very 24-7.

01:30:48.000 I'm pretty online.

01:30:49.000 I'm pretty 24-7.

01:30:51.000 But you all are doing it in a very tribal, coordinated way that is...

01:30:56.000 That is, you know, again, the Democrats just aren't matching that right now.

01:30:59.000 And that's an advantage because these things move quickly.

01:31:03.000 And I take that as a great compliment.

01:31:05.000 Thank you.

01:31:06.000 And you're right.

01:31:07.000 The sleep is not always abundant.

01:31:09.000 Sometimes, you know, you're up at 1 or 2 a.m.

01:31:11.000 because you just have all this incoming.

01:31:13.000 And I do have to say that is one of the great superpowers of being on the West Coast.

01:31:17.000 Right now I'm in Palm Beach.

01:31:18.000 But being on the West Coast, you can kind of stay up very late and you can kind of set the news cycle for the next day while everyone else is asleep.

01:31:26.000 So, Mark, I want to shift gears.

01:31:28.000 It's almost like I'm on those text chains with you, isn't it?

01:31:33.000 Almost like, exactly.

01:31:35.000 I want to shift gears slightly.

01:31:37.000 On this program, we've said that if 2017 was marked by the resistance, it seems as if that 2024 and 2025 is marked by the acquiescence.

01:31:46.000 Breaking news here while we were on air.

01:31:49.000 To be on the dais, which is where President Trump is getting sworn in, is a big deal.

01:31:54.000 It's cabinet officials, it's family, it's people that are very close and organizers that have been around.

01:32:01.000 The dais will now include Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk.

01:32:07.000 Elon's not a surprise, but Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will be on the dais.

01:32:13.000 What is your reaction going from 2017 full-out resistance, we're almost to the day, four years from the day of January 6th, you have Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk bending the knee?

01:32:29.000 Help me understand this.

01:32:30.000 I'm working on an article now, hopefully I can finish it soon, about Donald Trump's second term as the greatest mulligan of all time.

01:32:40.000 The conditions under which he will enter office is so different than eight years ago.

01:32:45.000 And you're citing one example that's so fascinating because it involves human beings.

01:32:49.000 Donald Trump loves wealth.

01:32:50.000 He loves success.

01:32:52.000 He loves trophies, human trophies.

01:32:55.000 And he loves having relationships with powerful people.

01:32:58.000 And you're right.

01:33:00.000 Elon's not a surprise at this point, but Elon hasn't always been supportive of Donald Trump.

01:33:06.000 A year ago, it would have been shocking.

01:33:09.000 Yeah.

01:33:09.000 Yeah, so we've eased into that one, right?

01:33:12.000 The other two, we've eased into as well, right?

01:33:15.000 Zuckerberg has been to Mar-a-Lago at least twice that we know of.

01:33:19.000 He brought gifts.

01:33:19.000 It was reported today he's trying to settle for cash, potentially, the suit Donald Trump has against Facebook.

01:33:27.000 And Bezos, a few months ago, maybe a few weeks ago, I guess months ago now, made some at a New York Times event, made some publicly.

01:33:34.000 Supportive comments.

01:33:36.000 Look, part of it is purely cynical.

01:33:39.000 They don't want the federal government to come after them, and being close to Donald Trump is the best way to protect their interests.

01:33:47.000 But part of it is patriotism.

01:33:50.000 Part of it is respect for what he's accomplished, not just surviving being shot, but the greatest comeback in modern American political history.

01:33:59.000 And part of it is Trump's...

01:34:04.000 Desire to really rely on a private sector for a lot of the successes that he wants to have.

01:34:11.000 And he's welcomed these folks to Mar-a-Lago.

01:34:15.000 He's met with them.

01:34:16.000 And they're not the only ones.

01:34:18.000 They're obviously prominent.

01:34:19.000 They're amongst the richest people in the world and run businesses that are unparalleled in human history.

01:34:24.000 But there are lots of CEOs who've been to Mar-a-Lago and who welcome the opportunity to be at the table.

01:34:31.000 And as you know well...

01:34:33.000 Donald Trump is not a big texter and a big emailer.

01:34:36.000 You want to be in his presence.

01:34:38.000 The more you're in his presence, the more influence you have, the more you're involved in decisions and consultations and conversations.

01:34:43.000 And these guys get the jump.

01:34:45.000 They want to be near him.

01:34:47.000 To quote the great political philosophers, the Carpenters, just like me, they long to be close to him.

01:34:54.000 Mark, we have to dash, but I just, I think it's just going to be incredibly delicious.

01:35:02.000 To watch the picture of, you know, the typical people, Jared, Ivanka, Don, Eric, Zuckerberg, Bezos.

01:35:09.000 It's not like they're just donating the token $1 million.

01:35:12.000 They want to be on the dais.

01:35:14.000 That's a big, big, big deal.

01:35:18.000 It's like dogs playing poker.

01:35:19.000 It's like a collage you can't believe actually exists.

01:35:23.000 And I will expect you to drag me everywhere Saturday through Monday night.

01:35:28.000 I want to be wherever you are.

01:35:30.000 We will cut a deal.

01:35:31.000 You're welcome at the Turning Point Ball.

01:35:33.000 I'll give you one of the exclusive insights into the village people.

01:35:38.000 Okay.

01:35:40.000 I'll be a full reporter, whatever I need to be.

01:35:43.000 I want to experience those 72 hours exactly as you do.

01:35:48.000 Mark, you're the best.

01:35:49.000 Come back anytime.

01:35:50.000 Thanks so much.

01:35:50.000 Thank you so much.

01:35:51.000 Good to see you.

01:35:51.000 Welcome home to America.

01:35:53.000 Thank you.

01:35:55.000 Well, maybe Nuke will be part of America soon.

01:36:00.000 Charlie Kirk here.

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01:37:00.000 andrewandtodd.com.

01:37:02.000 Music So from what I understand, according to my sources, which I think my sources are pretty good, this is it.

01:37:09.000 There is no other hearings besides this.

01:37:12.000 That's it.

01:37:13.000 From what I can understand and from all the research that has been gathered and all the sourcing, I do not believe that there is going to be a round, too.

01:37:23.000 There will be a committee vote and then a floor vote, and that's it.

01:37:26.000 I believe this is the end of questioning.

01:37:28.000 And so Pete Hegseth did wonderful.

01:37:31.000 Yeah, let's go full screen on that if we can.

01:37:33.000 I'd like to narrate along as Pete Hegseth.

01:37:36.000 He's been through hell and back these last couple of months.

01:37:38.000 Lied about, slandered, criticized.

01:37:42.000 So that is Pete around friends and family.

01:37:45.000 I know there's Arthur Schwartz.

01:37:47.000 I know him.

01:37:48.000 There is Mike Walls there.

01:37:51.000 Pete taking pictures.

01:37:52.000 Kind of like a celebrity, if you will.

01:37:55.000 And Pete just got done with one of the hardest things that you can do.

01:37:59.000 So this is what Pete is doing right now.

01:38:01.000 Pete is saying hello and thanking all the veterans that were there in support of him today.

01:38:07.000 By the way, what a sigh of relief Pete can have right now.

01:38:11.000 It is very difficult because the Democrats on that committee were intentionally provoking him.

01:38:15.000 It was an intentional provocation campaign.

01:38:19.000 Intentional.

01:38:21.000 And Pete handled it beautifully.

01:38:23.000 It was a master class by Pete Hegseth.

01:38:26.000 Attacking his marital life, his personal decisions, whether or not he has a drinking problem.

01:38:30.000 And like, hold on a second.

01:38:32.000 First of all, the military is not exactly the place of sobriety.

01:38:35.000 I don't drink.

01:38:37.000 Not a fan of it.

01:38:38.000 But it's not a moral issue.

01:38:40.000 However, it's all in the past.

01:38:43.000 Nobody is, no person is ever above, rising above what the demons of their past are.

01:38:49.000 That is completely and totally unfair.

01:38:52.000 He was measured.

01:38:53.000 He didn't take the bait.

01:38:54.000 He's a true patriot.

01:38:55.000 And there is the Senate hearing room where this all took place.

01:39:00.000 And from according to all sources that I have, it's now going to go to a committee vote, which will probably pass on pure partisan lines.

01:39:07.000 We're watching you, Joni Ernst.

01:39:09.000 By the way, did you notice how boring Joni Ernst's questions were?

01:39:14.000 Do you notice how?

01:39:17.000 How non-dramatic, how tempered Joni Ernst's questions were.

01:39:25.000 She flew a little bit too close to the sun.

01:39:28.000 She didn't want to get ronned.

01:39:30.000 And now Joni Ernst is Pete Hegseth's biggest fan.

01:39:33.000 And honestly, I've got to give credit for the foreign flag wearer, Roger Wicker.

01:39:37.000 I mean, he was just ridiculous wearing the Ukrainian flag.

01:39:39.000 He handled the committee really well.

01:39:41.000 I've got to give him credit for that.

01:39:42.000 The whole Ukrainian flag thing is just ridiculous.

01:39:45.000 But I gotta give him credit.

01:39:46.000 He handled it like a gentleman.

01:39:47.000 He stood up against the left.

01:39:49.000 That ridiculous co-chair that he has in the Democrats.

01:39:52.000 The Cooper or whatever his name is.

01:39:53.000 You can never remember that guy's name.

01:39:55.000 It's so forgettable.

01:39:56.000 Jack Reed.

01:39:57.000 Jack Reed.

01:39:57.000 It sounds like he's like a federal agent.

01:39:59.000 Jack Reed.

01:40:01.000 Just feels made up.

01:40:02.000 Senator Reed.

01:40:04.000 He just says, yeah, yeah, thanks so much.

01:40:06.000 Thanks for coming.

01:40:06.000 He didn't want to turn this into a long-standing melodrama.

01:40:10.000 Long-standing.

01:40:14.000 So he just said, okay, thanks so much, and that's it.

01:40:17.000 Pete Hegseth's hearing is over.

01:40:18.000 It's going to now go to a committee vote and then a floor vote, which means Pete Hegseth can assume the duties as the Secretary of Defense likely as soon as Monday or Tuesday.

01:40:29.000 Let me repeat that.

01:40:30.000 Pete Hegseth can assume the duties of becoming the Secretary of Defense on Monday afternoon or Tuesday afternoon.

01:40:38.000 So here's what happens.

01:40:39.000 They did their advice and consent.

01:40:40.000 They're going to do a committee vote.

01:40:42.000 And then they have to hold, I think, the floor vote.

01:40:44.000 So President Trump gets sworn in.

01:40:46.000 He says, so help me God, in five hours, five days and 22 hours and five minutes, five days, 22 hours, President Donald Trump goes to the outer room of the Capitol.

01:40:55.000 It's called the signing room.

01:40:57.000 And he signs the nominations.

01:40:58.000 Pete Hegseth, Scott Bessent, Doug Burnham, Kash Patel.

01:41:02.000 He signs all these nominations.

01:41:04.000 And then the Senate will pick it up that afternoon.

01:41:06.000 And that afternoon, Pete Hegseth can then get in a motorcade and ride right into the Pentagon.

01:41:12.000 And Pete Hegseth can then that evening, around 7 or 8 at night, get to his desk as the head of the Secretary of Defense and start signing executive orders.

01:41:20.000 Not executive orders, but memorandums.

01:41:22.000 Only the president can sign executive orders.

01:41:23.000 No more woke-ism.

01:41:25.000 None of this nonsense.

01:41:26.000 CRT. So by 8.30 or 9 p.m.

01:41:31.000 On this coming Monday evening, wokeism will be on its way out of the military.

01:41:35.000 Of course there's going to be a lot of excommunication of these demons that have to happen.

01:41:39.000 But the military should not be a sociological experiment.

01:41:42.000 The focus should be on lethality and meritocracy.

01:41:47.000 Pete Hegseth understands the mission statement of the military should be to protect our national interests and kill the enemy without apology.

01:41:54.000 Do so quickly.

01:41:55.000 We are not a nation building.

01:41:57.000 We are not an infrastructure organization.

01:42:00.000 We are not a sociological experiment operation.

01:42:03.000 It is about protecting the homeland and killing the enemies, lethality, meritocracy, integrity, and fidelity to the nation.

01:42:13.000 Well done, Pete Hegseth.

01:42:14.000 We're behind you 100%.

01:42:15.000 We have been in the trenches fighting for you.

01:42:18.000 It looks as if, according to all reporting, you are now on a glide path.

01:42:23.000 To become the Secretary of Defense.

01:42:24.000 And if anybody votes against you, there will be a primary challenge visiting your state soon.

01:42:31.000 Mark that down and take it to the bank.

01:42:33.000 So vote accordingly.

01:42:34.000 Thanks so much for listening, everybody.

01:42:35.000 Email us, as always, freedom at charliekirk.com.

The Charlie Kirk Show - January 14, 2025

The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party

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