The Tuesday evening announcement of Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran, confounded those who had expected a nominee with far more defense policy experience or foreign policy chops.
“Wow,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) replied when asked about the freshly announced choice Tuesday evening. “I’m just surprised, because the names that I’ve heard for secretary of Defense have not included him.”
Former national security adviser John Bolton called Hegseth’s selection “a loyalty choice” but said he didn’t know him well enough to say whether he would sign off on Trump’s oft-repeated campaign threats to use U.S. troops against Americans.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) was far more blunt, calling the choice “weird” and that Trump had only chosen Hegseth “because he’s on Fox News.”
But some key figures on the right were also quick to defend Hegseth, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) who called the Fox commentator a “great choice.”
Hegseth is a former infantry officer in the Army National Guard who served overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
He is known for publicly and privately lobbying Trump to pardon service members accused of war crimes, which he did in 2019, despite warnings that it would damage the integrity of the military justice system.
As a Fox News host and conservative commentator, Hegseth has outlined a number of policy positions that would roll back decades of efforts to promote diversity and expand opportunities for women and LGBTQ service members.
He has specifically called for the firing of Joint Chiefs Chair CQ Brown Jr., along with any other generals involved in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and has said women should not serve in combat roles.
“Hegseth is undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history. And the most overtly political. Brace yourself, America,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
