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THE CONFIRMATION HEARING of Pete Hegseth, who is vying to become President-elect Donald Trump’s new defence secretary, took place in Washington today.
Hegseth, one of the most controversial among Trump’s picks, is a former Army National Guard officer and ex-Fox News host. Hegseth can only afford three Republican rejections and still be confirmed, should every Democrat and independent vote against him.
Confirmation hearings see senators – both Republican and Democrat – question nominees about their records and intentions for their prospective offices.
In his opening remarks, Chairman and Senator Roger Wicker described Hegseth as an “unconventional” nominee for the role, but said he is well-placed to “slim down bureaucracy” in the defence department and have it able to “sustain technological supremecy”.
Hegseth has told the hearing he wants to “restore the warrior ethos” to the US military, but he was interrupted three times early on in his contribution by protesters who were quickly removed.
He also touted his military service and said people who he’s worked with are aware that “I know what I don’t know”.
Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual assault, financial misconduct and excessive drinking, and lingering questions over his views on women in the military. He also has no comparable management experience.
Senator Jack Reed of the Democrats said he wanted the record to show that information that came from an FBI probe of Hegseth had been “insufficient”.
“Mr Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job,” Senator Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, said in his opening statement. He also said accusations against Hegseth were “alarming.”
Asked about the sexual assault allegations, Hegseth referred to them as “a coordinated smear campaign”, which he said had also been targeted against Donald Trump by the “left-wing media”.
“False attacks, anonymous attacks,” is how he described the reports.
“God forged me in ways I’m prepared for,” he said while admitting, “I’m not a perfect person but redemption is real”.
Later in the hearing, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine refuted Hegseth’s claim that the accusations were anonymous.
“You claim that this was all anonymous? We have seen records with names attached to all of these, including the name of your own mother,” Kaine said, adding: “So don’t make this into some anonymous press thing.”
Wicker asked if Hegseth agreed with his proposals regarding defence spending, which are focused on awarding more contracts to smaller companies outside of the dominant contractors like Boeing, Haliburton and Lockheed Martin.
Hegseth agreed with the Chairman and has also said he wants the Pentagon to pass an audit (for the first time).
Hegseth said that “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies” in the military are “a distraction”, while praising the racial integration of the 1940s and 50s.
He also said troops would “rejoice” if the Pentagon got rid of the “woke” agenda.
Asked by Senator Reed about his support for efforts to get war criminals pardoned, Hegseth was not advocating for breaches of the rules of war, but that current rules of engagement are too restrictive.
He said he wants to ensure that “our warriors are looked out for”.
Reed put it to him that he has “already disparaged the Geneva Convention and the laws of war”.
Hegseth has in the past come out against women holding combat roles in the US military.
Asked about those comments and if women make up a “critical” role in the US military by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Hegseth said they do.
“When I’m talking about that issue, I’m not talking about men and women, I’m talking about standards,” he said.
Shaheen said she was confused by that comment based on his previous remarks in a chapter of his book, The War on Warriors, entitled “The Deadly Obsession with Women Warriors”.
“You will have to change how you see women to do this job well,” Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told Hegseth.
Commenting on Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, Hegseth said: “I’m a Christian and I will robustly support the state of Israel and its existential war in Gaza.”
Hegseth also said he supports “Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas.”
Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are nearing a resolution, according to media reports and briefings from US officials.
With reporting from AFP
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So, just to clarify, 200 plus young women still missing then?
Why would any parent wish to notify the thugs who run Nigeria as their own personal bank account of anything or be noticed in any way, this tragedy has become a farce,
Charlie Mountney …..this tragedy has become a farce.
Just like Flight MH370 and all these other psych ops hoaxes.
Firstly it’s called Psyops, not psych ops and secondly you’re a moron.
Ian Crowley So those that green thumb are also Morons?
And Its often abbreviated in two words ……http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/another-runaway-general-army-deploys-psy-ops-on-u-s-senators-20110223
Perhaps you are a bit of a moron
Ya, because rolling stone is a shining reference of all things military and not just a music magazine.
But even if you’d taken the trouble to read the headline you have seen it’s spelt psy and not psych. You were probably distracted by the picture of an “evil republican” below the headline or so scared by the presence of an illuminati like John McCain that you probably ran to Alex jones and re rest of the crazies to seek some stability.
You and your ilk are sad beings who see black and shout white and live every day in fear that the sky is falling.
You refuse to take the word of the establishment but rather take the word of people so obsessed with their own ego that they’d say or do anything to increase their YouTube hits. You have now been promoted to epic moron.
Hi Frank. Interesting suggestion. I think I see where you are coming from with that idea. I will give it some thought. Thanks.
So we have a grammar Nazi on board today….
Psychological Operations
psych ops
Psy Ops
PSYOP
Psych-Ops: Psychological Operations (Psy-Ops)
http://www.systemiccoaching.com/psych-ops.htm
It’s nothing to do with grammar. Just a lack of understanding of a subject you feel you must enlighten us all with.
You fail to realise that when you say things like Malaysian airlines, Nigerian girls and 9/11 are inside jobs/false flag operations/psych-ops (sic) or the actions of a one world government on open source media like you continually do that you may offend people who lost loved ones, re-open old wounds and perpetuate hatred through misunderstanding. It’s known that people who scream injustice behind conspiracy theories are just trying to be heard. They seek more attention then they have. Jim Corr was overshadowed by his sisters, you are overshadowed by the simplest single celled organism.
I maintain my view that you are a moron and you have not given a single shred of evidence in support of your allegations or in defence of your intelligence.
I think there has been enough posted by myself and others with alternative views questioning the subject of Malaysian airlines, Nigerian girls and 9/11.
As regards Flight MH370 the whole thing has been a farce and the but of jokes…In 2014 an aircraft full of the latest transponders, black boxes cell phones etc cannot simply vanish off the face of the earth.. And by the way…..Their MAY Day Celebration among rescue crew at an air base in Perth was a real eye opener…Literally…. http://s28.postimg.org/fzghzu4zx/Planeeyee.jpg
As regards 9/11 yes certainly wounds have been opened up and people are quite bitter that the truth has been suppressed and people fed lies by the western mainstream media. I already pointed out several highly professional truth sites on this matter… two in particular involving the fire service (Who lost several hundred members) and Architects and Pilots for the truth of 9/11.
BTW the 2011 9/11 commemoration was also a bit of an eye opener….http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/7xhN0Byk5GQ/0.jpg
Maybe we should also keep “an eye out” for the Nigerian Girls.
There is virtually no such thiOpen Sourced western mainstream media hardly exists any more…
Frank, Are you a Max Malone fan by any chance?
john bissett ..Not really..
Well you seem to be spouting the same nonsense he does. Give me proof that the kidnapped girls was a psyops and not just some conspiracy theorist writing an article saying he thinks it is.
So guys standing in a circle is now a deep conspiracy. Tell me, we’re all these workers in on it you crazy muppet or is it just done for kicks by the ruling elite?
I suppose every time two soccer teams stand around the centre for a minutes silence before a match that’s just proof that the queen is a lizard and we never went to the moon!
If what you were saying was true then wouldn’t the secret government just make you disappear? Unfortunately no! The continues absence of evidence is overwhelmingly against you on this one.
Frank is just a wannabe David Icke.Clearly bat shit crazy and has deep rooted issues and the fact he believes numerology makes him a laughing stock.
This is the same David Icke (former football commentator on the BBC) who had to resign after saying he was the second coming of Christ and now tours the world spouting BS about the fact we’re all being ruled by Lizards disguised as humans?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiyrHZCksDM
At least Icke is funny. Frank is just sad.
Frank would blame the Americans if his soup went missing.
The Nigerian government are furious that 4 more children are safe?
No they are furious that the parents didn’t tell them that they are safe. Same as the parents of a missing person not telling searchers that their child had come home. It begs the question now as to how many other girls might actually be safe so now it puts a heavier work load on authorities to try and figure out who is kidnapped and who isn’t. A simple phone call or stroll into the local police station would have sorted out the whole thing long ago.
It’s not really the same though, is it? There were over 200 girls missing, and now there are still over 200 girls missing. It’s not going to change the operation, though it might deflect from the inability of the authorities to deal with the problem for a while.
Emily in case you missed this part of my comment…
” It begs the question now as to how many other girls might actually be safe so now it puts a heavier work load on authorities to try and figure out who is kidnapped and who isn’t.”
It’s gone from 300 down to 219 so who is to say it’s not 119 or 169? The Nigerian security are a joke at the best of times so the last thing anyone needs is supposed hostages sitting comfortably at home while people are literally putting their lives on the line looking for them.
Too many irregularities in this case. After a short time after the hostage taking the Nigerian army announced that all the girls were free, only to retract this statement a few days later. Kenya’s news24 also reported that they all free. Two days ago a German reporter who has been in Nigeria the last few weeks and who formally worked there as an NGO said on German TV that there were many reports in Nigeria that they were free and this accounted for the smug statement made by a top army official that he knew where they were. Otherwise his statement made no sense as it would have put the girls lives in danger.
Those freaks hunt down wild life for fun why can’t a crazy loon hunt them down for fun
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