Gallego says he will give Hegseth ‘opportunity’ to ‘explain’ past comments
Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) declined to say on Sunday whether he intends to vote to confirm President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, former Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth, saying he will allow him to explain his controversial past comments.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Jake Tapper noted that Hegseth has said women should not serve in combat roles and that the Joint Chiefs chairman should be fired for being “too woke.”
“I’m going to give him an opportunity to, number one, explain himself, and I’ll give that to all these Cabinet members,” Gallego said when asked about those comments in the interview and whether he will vote for confirmation.
Gallego, who deployed to Iraq with the Marines, said he will approach each confirmation hearing and vote from the perspective of what is best for his Arizona constituents.
“The most important things that I’m going to use for all the metrics of everybody that’s running is, number one, are you going to protect and serve the Constitution of the United States? Number two, is this going to be beneficial to Arizona, and are you, where relevant, you know, going to help us bring down the cost of everything that’s in Arizona and the country in general?”
“So, you know, I’m not going to jump ahead and say yes or no,” Gallego continued. “I’ll give him his opportunity as part of my constitutional duties, but I think he has to answer for a lot of what he has said in the past.”
Hegseth is one of several controversial picks that Trump has made for his Cabinet.
In addition to reports about Hegseth’s past comments, news that Hegseth was investigated in 2017 for an alleged sexual assault incident has come into focus in recent days since Trump announced his appointment.
The Monterey Police Department confirmed an investigation of an “alleged sexual assault” at a home in October 2017 between the late-night hours and early morning. A summary of the report said the victim suffered a contusion to their right thigh, but the city did not release the report or additional details. The city did not indicate charges filed in the case nor named Hegseth the aggressor.
Vanity Fair reported that Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, along with attorneys, spoke with Hegseth about the sexual assault allegation Thursday.
Hegseth told Trump’s team the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter, according to Vanity Fair.
Hegseth was an infantry officer in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021. After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, he went on to serve tours in Guantánamo Bay from 2004 to 2005, in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012, according to the Army National Guard.
For the past decade, he has been a Fox News personality and host of its weekend “Fox & Friends” program.