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Sen. Blumenthal: Pete Hegseth ‘lacks qualifications’ to serve as defense secretary

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who will be on the panel questioning Hegseth, says he is not qualified to serve.

Emily Knapton

Jan 13, 2025, 11:49 AM

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The confirmation hearings for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, start Tuesday morning in Washington.

He will go before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who will be on the panel questioning Hegseth, says he is not qualified to serve.

"This nation deserves a secretary of defense, and so do our men and women in military, who has the character and competence – who is prepared and qualified," says Blumenthal. "Pete Hegseth has shown in his public record, running two veterans' organizations into the ground financially, that he lacks those qualifications. I am demanding to see the FBI background report which has been withheld."

Hegseth is a former weekend host of "Fox & Friends" and an Army National Guard combat veteran.

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