Trump's embattled Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth reverses position on women in combat
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's embattled nominee for defense secretary, appears to be changing his tune when it comes to women on the battlefield.
The former Fox News host has said he opposes women serving in combat roles, claiming their inclusion "hasn't made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated."
But as Hegseth makes the rounds on Capitol Hill, sitting down with key GOP senators whose votes could make or break his confirmation to join Trump's second-term Cabinet, he has seemingly reversed his position.
"We support all women serving in our military today who do a fantastic job across the globe, in our Pentagon, and deliver critical aspects, all aspects, combat included, and they have so for quite some time," Hegseth told reporters Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol. "So, I look forward to being a leader for every single member of this Pentagon, men and women."
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Hegseth's remarks came after he said on Fox News earlier in the week that women are "some of our greatest warriors."
"I’m not presuming anything, but after President Trump asked me to be his secretary of defense, should I get the opportunity to do that, I look forward to being a secretary for all our warriors, men and women, for the amazing contributions they make in our military," Hegseth said Monday evening.
The shift comes as Hegseth has met with Republican Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. All three women are seen as potential holdouts on his nomination in a chamber where Republicans will soon hold a 53-47 majority that has little room left to lose anyone else from inside the GOP.
After a second meeting with Hegseth on Monday, Ernst issued a statement saying she would "support Pete through this process" but has since declined to elaborate on whether that also means she'll vote for his nomination.
Hegseth also met in private with Collins on Wednesday for more than an hour. Afterward, Collins said she asked him "virtually every question under the sun," ABC News reported, but added she is waiting to make up her mind until after an FBI background check of Hegseth is completed.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Hegseth said he would "welcome that background check," adding that his meetings with senators have involved "great feedback, great discussion."
In addition to his past statements on women in combat, Hegseth faces a multitude of allegations of wrongdoing, from a sexual assault claim in 2017 ? which he has denied and for which he did not face any related charges ? to accusations of mismanaging nonprofit funds and drinking on the job.
The Pentagon opened all combat roles to women in 2016. Before that, women had carried out combat missions, including flying aircraft in war zones and other duties. The move in 2016 allowed women who qualified to serve in other combat arms fields like armor and infantry.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and a member of the Armed Services Committee who lost her legs while flying a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq, said Hegseth’s comments on women in combat disqualify him for defense secretary.
“He's not the right guy to lead the Department of Defense,” Duckworth said in an interview. “If you go by his statements a month ago, it shows that. Our military could not go to combat without women. Period. We would not be a combat-ready force without the 225,000 women who are serving in uniform today.”
Hegseth was among several of the president-elect's Cabinet picks roaming the halls of Capitol Hill this week seeking to shore up support from senators ahead of confirmation hearings early next year.
On his way to an appointment Wednesday afternoon with Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Hegseth was passed in the hallway by a fellow nominee, former congresswoman and Democrat-now-Republican Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard, who has been tapped for director of national intelligence, hugged Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, before asking how he was faring.
"Doing alright," Hegseth replied.
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth changes tune on women in combat