Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth on Tuesday was grilled about his past statements that he does not want women in combat roles.
“We don’t want women in the military, especially in combat — do not deny that you’ve made those statements. You have,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, said during the hearing, questioning Hegseth about his past statements.
During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, senators asked the former Fox News host about him previously saying women should not serve in U.S. military combat roles. In the past, he argued women in combat roles “hasn’t made us more effective” and instead have “made fighting more complicated.” Hegseth had contended that women should not be in special operations, artillery, infantry, and armor units.
“Women cannot physically meet the same standards as men,” Hegseth said in his book “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”
After senators pressed him, Hegseth tried to walk back his comments:
“It’s not about the capabilities of men and women; it’s about standards,” he said. “Standards that we, unfortunately, over time, have seen eroded.”
