Senator Rosen Criticizes Pete Hegseth’s Flip Flopping And Lack Of Clear Answers During Senate Confirmation Hearing
View Senator Rosen’s Full Interview HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following her questioning during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Dana Bash on CNN to express her strong opposition to Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be the Secretary of Defense. In the interview, Senator Rosen highlighted Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and troubling past comments about women serving in combat as key reasons as to why he is not fit for the job.
Below is an excerpt of their exchange:
Senator Rosen: We thoroughly – try to thoroughly – vet every single nominee, regardless of party, regardless of position. That is our role in the Senate, to advise and consent […] And nothing more important or significant than the Department of Defense. This person, the Secretary of Defense, […] the person that, except for the President, leads our men and women in the military and our civilian employees, about 3.5 million of them; manages about an $800 billion budget. We need that person to be strong, to be respected. And I can tell you after the answers that Mr. Hegseth gave today, he is unqualified for the job, and I can tell you why. For years, he’s been on television. You played my clip before. Those were his words. He’s had opinions. He’s written books. And suddenly, suddenly, since he’s been nominated, he has changed his tune.
Who is the real Pete Hegseth? What does he stand for? The person he has been, or the person since he’s been nominated? And once he’s confirmed, what can the American people expect?
Dana Bash: So just to put a fine point on it, it sounds like you are definitively voting against him in committee and then ultimately on the floor.
Senator Rosen: I do not feel that he is qualified to do this job.
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