U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) joined more than 100 Navy SEALS, veterans and others on Monday to show support for Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth is slated to have his first confirmation hearing on Tuesday in front of Senate members. He remains one of Trump‘s more controversial picks.
Initial reactions to Hegseth's nomination were centered around his perceived lack of qualifications for the job. However, in recent weeks, the conversation has dealt with accusations of drunkenness and sexual misconduct.
One charge came in 2017 after a woman accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her at a Republican Women's convention. The woman filed a police report, which was made public after he was announced as Trump’s pick. However, no charges were ever filed, and the pair reached a settlement agreement.
Another story in the New Yorker detailed alleged testimony from unnamed former employees of Concerned Veterans for America, where Hegseth served as president from 2013 to 2016. The report lists accusations of repeated drunkenness on Hegseth's part. Other anonymous sources claimed Hegseth left the organization due to concerns about financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct and his drinking. However, many current and former Concerned Veterans employees have publicly denied the accusations.
While some have expressed concerns over the accusations, others have dismissed them as anonymous rumors designed to smear Hegseth's reputation ahead of his Senate confirmation.
At Monday’s press conference, Tuberville joined multiple others in praising Hegseth’s qualifications for the job and pushing for his confirmation.
Tuberville took the microphone and immediately commented on the impressive level of high-caliber support that came out in support of Hegseth.
“It’s great to be standing here with people like the SEALS, and all the veterans, and all the patriots, and all the ones that’s going to march tomorrow for Pete,” Tuberville said. “I’ve known Pete for a few years. I wish we didn’t have to do this, but it still shows support.”
He continued, “You know, it’s not about the huge problems we’re having in this country, such as inflation, such as crime, bad education and borders; those are huge problems. Folks, you can’t fix anything unless you have a strong military to protect the people of this country. You can’t do that. That’s where it has to start.”
Tuberville went on to echo similar observations that he’s made in the past about the status of the military. He has long applauded the men and women of the armed forces while simultaneously bemoaning the perceived lack of leadership and preparedness for advancing progressive programs and ideas in the military.
“The last four years has been an absolute disaster for our military,” Tuberville said. “And again, we have a lot of good people, a lot of good men and women that believe in the United States of America. But we got to go forward. We have to have a leader. It all starts with one person. We don’t need a general from the Pentagon; we’ve tried that. We need a drill sergeant, somebody that’s been in two wars. Somebody that understands camaraderie, and team, and work ethic, and time restraint, and respect, personal respect, believing in yourself first; we’ve got to get all that back. We got to get it back. We have no choice. If we don’t, it’s over. If we hadn’t got President Trump elected, it would [have] been over with these people running this country the way they’re running it. Running our military down. Putting all the woke, DEI agenda out there, it would have been an absolute continued disaster. It’s over.”
Tuberville predicted an aggressive confirmation process for Hegseth beginning on Tuesday but ultimately predicted his confirmation.
“I’m here to tell you, I’m 110% behind Pete Hegseth,” Tuberville said. “This time tomorrow, we’ll be going through a confirmation process. He will be ripped. He will be demeaned. He will be talked about. But, we’re going to get him across the finish line.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
