Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, laying out dozens of allegations and about 100 questions that she expects him to answer at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, wrote a 33-page letter last week to Hegseth. It explains why he thinks he is “unfit” to serve, referring to him at one point in the book as an “insider threat” because of the tattoo Hegseth has that Warren claims is tied to “right-wing extremism.”
“Your confirmation as Secretary of Defense would be dangerous to our national security and disrespectful to the countless servicemen who are willing to sacrifice for our country,” Warren wrote in the letter. “I am deeply concerned about the many ways in which your conduct and your speech demonstrate that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense.”
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The letter begins with allegations against Hegseth that include claims of financial mismanagement while running two non-profit organizations, as well as allegations of heavy drinking and sexual harassment.
The Massachusetts Democrat accused Hegseth of “gross mismanagement” by running up debts and using business funds from nonprofits he ran to pay personal expenses. He cited former colleagues of Hegseth who said they knew about what happened. Warren also said in his book that some of Hegseth’s colleagues had had alcohol problems, saying “at least 11 separate incidents where [Hegseth has] defined as drinking excessively or inappropriately in public.” Warren asks in the letter if Hegseth will resign if he is caught drinking again.
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Warren also followed Hegseth’s policy positions in the book, many of which were made during media appearances and publications.
Warren has criticized Hegseth for previous comments about women in the military, including his comment that only men should be allowed in combat roles. Warren asked Hegseth about other aspects of women in the military, including whether she thinks single women in the military should have access to birth control.
Defense Secretary-elect Pete Hegseth, left, and Senator Liz Warren, right. (Getty)
Hegseth, an advocate for ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military, was criticized by Warren in his letter calling for the firing of “any general, admiral, whatever, involved in any DEI. woke s–t,” during a podcast interview in November.
Warren added that in addition to firing Defense Department officials who might develop the DEI, he also detailed fears about Hegseth’s willingness to help Trump go after his political opponents. In one of Warren’s questions, he asked Hegseth to share his thoughts on the 2020 election and whether he believes Trump won, or lost, the right way.
At one point in the letter, Warren highlighted that Hegseth was removed from President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration due to concerns that he was an “insider threat” following reports that his tattoo with the words “Deus Vult,” was allegedly a “Christian reference.” associated with right-wing extremism.”
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Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, attends a meeting with Sen. Ted Budd, RN.C., at the Russell Building on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ- Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams)
Some sections want to talk about Hegseth’s alleged reluctance to cooperate with allies, including those within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Warren suggests that Hegseth will not support them enough considering his “reluctance” to help Ukraine in its war with Russia. Warren dismissed all questions that Hegseth would “undermine” veterans’ benefits, and asked what Hegseth could do for the Department of Defense Education, which is part of the military’s children’s academy.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Trump Transition spokesman Bran Hughes said Hegseth “looks forward to answering senators’ questions and explaining his many qualifications at his hearing tomorrow.”
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“Senator Warren’s letter to Pete Hegseth is exactly what the American voters rejected on November 5,” Hughes said. “Instead of focusing on ‘rebellious’ policies that have weakened our nation’s defenses, voters gave the mandate to rebuild our military, and that’s exactly what a reform-minded Secretary of Defense like Pete Hegseth will do. Senator Warren’s book proves why it’s ideologically driven. College professors have no place to drive the their social agenda in the Department of Defense.”
Efforts to reach Warren for comment on this matter were unsuccessful.
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