New York Times: Armed Services Committee Democrats call allegations against Hegseth disqualifying

A group of Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday began a bid to block the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for secretary of defense.

In a letter to Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, the senators argued that allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Hegseth and his opposition to women serving in combat roles made him an unacceptable choice.

“At a time when D.O.D. is struggling to build up military enlistments, Mr. Hegseth’s comments disqualify him to serve as the secretary of defense,” the group, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, wrote.

The letter recounts in graphic detail sexual assault allegations against Mr. Hegseth and cites his statements explicitly opposing having women serve in combat roles. Since last week, Mr. Hegseth has expressed support for women warriors and argued that his past comments were “misconstrued.”

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