Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, acknowledged Tuesday he is “not a perfect person” but was defiant in the face of multiple allegations surrounding his past conduct during a contentious confirmation hearing.
Hegseth dismissed the allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 as false and part of a “coordinated smear campaign,” claiming that the attacks against him were an attempt to use him to also smear the president-elect.
Democrats pressed Hegseth on allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking. In one particularly contentious exchange, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia pressed Hegseth on his infidelity stemming from the 2017 incident in a Monterey, California, hotel room, which prompted a sexual assault investigation by local police that did not result in any charges.
Democratic senators also confronted Hegseth with his prior comments suggesting that women should not serve in combat roles, raising quotes from his book published last year.
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