One of Ernsts central concerns has been the prevalence of sexual assault in the military.
I am shocked that you would stand here and say you were completely cleared.
Those were false charges.
Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing last week.Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
It was fully investigated and i was completely cleared, Hegseth said.
How do you explain your judgment?
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Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) ran through instances where Hegseth has allegedly been intoxicated.
He repeatedly called them anonymous smears.
Earlier, Hegseth had blasted the media for what he said was a smear campaign against his nomination.
Kelly, though, said that Hegsteth was not being transparent.
Have you overcome personal issues, or are you the target of a smear campaign?
It cant be both.
The FBI did do a background check of Hegseth, but Democrats said that it was incomplete.
The 2017 accuser was not interviewed.
They interviewed some 60 or more witnesses and three asked not to be identified, he said.
Hegseth denied the claims, and no charges were filed.
But he reached a confidential settlement with the accuser in 2020.
What we knew was that it wasnt about me, Hegseth said.
That said, Hegseth acknowledged that he was not a perfect person, but that redemption is real.
We let them win, and we bring them home.
Hegseths opening statement was interrupted by protesters at one point.
