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Ex-Fox News host Pete Hegseth will call for the return of “American warriors” as he is grilled by the Senate ahead of his likely confirmation as US defense secretary.
The 44-year-old veteran will face questions on Tuesday about his lack of management experience, his alleged heavy drinking, as well as his previous opposition to women serving in combat roles in the military.
He could also be asked about an accusation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel room in 2017 – something he has denied.
“We are not Republicans or Democrats — we are American warriors. Our standards will be high, and they will be equal,” he will tell the bipartisan panel of senators, Axios reported.
It comes after Donald Trump hit out at US special counsel Jack Smith after a landmark report found the US president-elect tried to criminally overturn the 2020 US election.
Smith said Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” in the January 6 riots and knowingly spread a false narrative about fraud in the 2020 election.
The tough questions Pete Hegseth will face at his Senate confirmation hearing
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 11:30
Who is invited to Trump’s inauguration?
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, ushering in his second term in office and capping one of the most astounding political comebacks in American history.
He has broken with precedent and invited several foreign leaders to the ceremony. Historically, they have not attended the event due to security concerns and have sent diplomats instead.
Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, a strong supporter of Trump, has said he will attend, according to reports.
Another Trump backer, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, has said he is considering coming. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not attending, despite an invitation, but is sending an envoy.
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 11:17
Trump’s defense secretary pick set to be grilled
US president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary is set to be grilled by the Senate ahead of his confirmation.
Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth will be quizzed from 10am on Tuesday over allegations surrounding his past and his suitability for the role.
The 44-year-old will face questions on Tuesday about his lack of management experience, his alleged heavy drinking, as well as his previous opposition to women serving in combat roles in the military.
He could also be asked about an accusation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel room in 2017 – something he has denied.
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 10:42
Trump’s furious 1am response to Jack Smith’s special counsel report
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 09:49
Donald Trump’s response in full
Trump slammed US special counsel Jack Smith as a “deranged lamebrain prosecutor” in a furious 1am tirade posted to his social media platform TruthSocial.
He said: “Deranged Jack Smith… is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election, which I won in a landslide.
“[He was] was unable to successfully prosecute the Political Opponent of his ‘boss,’ Crooked Joe Biden, so he ends up writing yet another ‘Report”’ based on information that the Unselect Committee of Political Hacks and Thugs ILLEGALLY DESTROYED AND DELETED, because it showed how totally innocent I was, and how completely guilty Nancy Pelosi, and others, were.”
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 09:20
US prosecutor Jack Smith defends criminal case against Trump
US special counsel Jack Smith, who has faced relentless criticism from Trump, has defended his investigation and the prosecutors who worked on it.
“The claim from Mr Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable,” Smith wrote in a letter detailing his report.
After the release, Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, called Smith a “lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the election.”
The report said Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” in the January 6 riots and knowingly spread a false narrative about fraud in the 2020 election.
It also claimed Trump would have been convicted for the role he played had he not been re-elected by voters in a landslide victory last year.
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 08:30
Trump engaged in criminal effort to overturn 2020 election, report finds
President-elect Donald Trump engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat, according to a report by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Mr Smith said Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” in the January 6 riots and knowingly spread a false narrative about fraud in the 2020 election.
He also claimed Trump would have been convicted for the role he played had he not been re-elected by voters in a landslide victory last year.
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 08:25
Jan 6 rioter says she will refuse Trump’s pardon
Pamela Hemphill, a grandmother in her seventies who was jailed for taking part in the attempted insurrection at the US Capitol four years ago, has said she will “refuse” a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump once he takes office.
The incoming commander-in-chief has vowed to issue widespread presidential pardons to his supporters convicted for nonviolent offences over the infamous attack on January 6 2021.
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
Oliver O’Connell14 January 2025 08:20
Donald Trump slams ‘deranged Jack Smith’
Donald Trump has hit out at US special counsel Jack Smith after a landmark report found the US president-elect tried to criminally overturn the 2020 US election.
Mr Smith said Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” in the January 6 riots and knowingly spread a false narrative about fraud in the 2020 election.
He also claimed Trump would have been convicted for the role he played had he not been re-elected by voters in a landslide victory last year.
“Deranged Jack Smith… is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election, which I won in a landslide,” Trump said.
Alexander Butler14 January 2025 08:10
