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Speaker 1: And the members of the House Armed Services know it's

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Speaker 1: not working. And we have hearing after hearing, year after year,

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Speaker 1: and here we are, decades later describing the same problems.

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Speaker 1: The Pentagon has continuously failed audits. The businesses that want

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Speaker 1: to do business with the Pentagon have to pass an audit,

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Speaker 1: but the entity itself fails an audit. Innovation is stalled,

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Speaker 1: morale is down, standards have been weakened, and meritocracy is

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Speaker 1: less valued. And as a result, our adversaries have been

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Speaker 1: emboldened all over the world.

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Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for change.

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Speaker 3: It is time for change.

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Speaker 1: You all have literally seen thousands of veterans, as the

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Speaker 1: Chairman cited one amazing Medal of Honor recipient, but we

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Speaker 1: have seen thousands of veterans expressing their support for Pete.

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Speaker 1: This is a man who can reinvigorate that warrior ethos,

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Speaker 1: and this is.

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Speaker 2: A man that will lead.

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Speaker 1: I can't imagine having a more capable part in my

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Speaker 1: position as National Security Advisor. Pete is a man of family,

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Speaker 1: of faith, and he's committed to making our country stronger

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Speaker 1: great again.

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Speaker 4: And most importantly, brother, I know this in my core.

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Speaker 1: He will always have as a first principle, the service

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Speaker 1: members that are out there on the front lines for

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Speaker 1: all of us at the heart of every decision he makes.

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Speaker 1: So Senators, I urge you to support this confirmation. Is

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Speaker 1: critical that President Trump has his national security team in place.

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Speaker 1: Challenges ahead, and I thank you.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, Mike for your testimony.

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Speaker 5: You're in the war room. Stephen K.

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Speaker 3: Bannon.

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Speaker 5: We're at Pete Hexa's Senate confirmation. Aaron live. Let's go

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Speaker 5: back to the.

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Speaker 3: Hearing for the next few years. Thank you both. Our

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Speaker 3: two guests may stay or I know they have other

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Speaker 3: engagements and responsibilities all but thank you both for your testimony.

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Speaker 3: At this point, mister Hexath, I'm required to ask you,

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Speaker 3: as nominee, a series of questions that the Committee asks

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Speaker 3: all civilian nominees who appear before it. If you would

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Speaker 3: please simply respond in the affirmative or negative to each question.

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Speaker 3: Have you adhered to applicable laws and regulations governing conflicts

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Speaker 3: of interest?

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Speaker 2: Yes, sir.

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Speaker 3: Have you assumed any duties or taken any actions that

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Speaker 3: would appear to presume the outcome of the confirmation process?

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Speaker 2: No, sir.

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Speaker 3: Exercising our legislative and oversight responsibilities makes it important that

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Speaker 3: this Committee, it's subcommittees, and other appropriate committees of Congress

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Speaker 3: receive testimony, briefings, reports, records, and other information from the

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Speaker 3: Executive Branch on a timely basis. Do you agree, if confirmed,

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Speaker 3: to appear and testify before this committee when requested?

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Speaker 5: Yes?

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Speaker 3: Sir? Do you agree to provide records, documents, and electronic

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Speaker 3: communications in a timely manner when requested by this Committee,

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Speaker 3: it's subcommittees, or other appropriate committees of Congress, and to

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Speaker 3: consult with the request regarding the basis for any good

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Speaker 3: faith delay or denial in providing such records?

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Speaker 5: Yes, sir.

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Speaker 3: Will you ensure that your staff complies with deadlines established

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Speaker 3: by this Committee for the production of reports, records, and

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Speaker 3: other information, including timely responding to hearing questions for the record?

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Speaker 5: Yes?

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Speaker 6: Sir.

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Speaker 3: Will you cooperate in providing witnesses and briefers in response

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Speaker 3: to congressional requests?

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Speaker 5: Yes? Sir.

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Speaker 3: Will those witnesses and briefers be protected from reprisal for

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Speaker 3: their testimony or briefings?

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Speaker 5: Yes?

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Speaker 3: Sir? All right, So at this point, mister exs you

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Speaker 3: recognize for your opening s date.

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Speaker 4: Well, thank you, Chairman Wicker, ranking Member Read and all

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Speaker 4: the members of this committee for this opportunity today. I'm

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Speaker 4: grateful for and have learned a great deal from this

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Speaker 4: advice and consent process.

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Speaker 2: Our founders knew what they were doing.

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Speaker 4: Should I be confirmed, I look forward to working with

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Speaker 4: this committee senators from both parties to secure our nation.

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Speaker 4: I want to thank the former Senator from Minnesota, Norm Coleman,

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Speaker 4: for his mentorship and friendship in this process, and the

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Speaker 4: incoming National Security Advisor Congressman, and more importantly for our purposes,

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Speaker 4: Colonel Mike Walls, for his powerful words.

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Speaker 2: I'm grateful to them both.

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Speaker 4: Thank you to my incredible wife, Jennifer, who has changed

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Speaker 4: my life and been with me throughout.

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Speaker 2: This entire process.

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Speaker 4: I love you, sweetheart, and I thank God for you.

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Speaker 4: And as Jenny and I pray together every morning, all glory,

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Speaker 4: regardless of the outcome, belongs to our Lord and Savior

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Speaker 4: Jesus Christ. His grace and mercy abounds each day. May

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Speaker 4: his will be done. Thank you to my father Brian

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Speaker 4: and mother Penny, as well as our entire family, including

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Speaker 4: our seven wonderful kids Gunner, Jackson, Peter, Boone, Kensington, Luke,

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Speaker 4: j Rex Sorry, it's a lot of them and Gwendolen.

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Speaker 4: Their future safety and security is in all of our hands.

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Speaker 4: And to all the troops and veterans watching and here

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Speaker 4: in the room, Navy seals, green berets, soldiers, pilots, sailors, marines,

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Speaker 4: gold stars, and more, too many friends to name, officers, enlisted,

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Speaker 4: black and white, young and old, men and women, all Americans,

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Speaker 4: all warriors. This hearing is for you. Thank you for

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Speaker 4: figuratively and literally having my back.

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Speaker 7: We're a misogynous not only that you are as person.

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Speaker 3: I want to thank the authorities for the swift reaction

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Speaker 3: to that outburst and state that that similar interruptions will

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Speaker 3: be treated in like manner. Mister Heisith, you may continue well.

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Speaker 4: As I'll say again, thank you for figuratively and literally

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Speaker 4: having my back.

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Speaker 2: I pledged to do the same for all of you.

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Speaker 4: It's an ur to come before this committee today as

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Speaker 4: President Donald Trump's nominee for the office of Secretary of Defense.

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Speaker 4: Two months ago, seventy seven million Americans gave President Trump

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Speaker 4: a powerful mandate for change to put America first at

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Speaker 4: home and abroad. I want to thank President Trump for

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Speaker 4: his faith in me and his selfless leadership for our republic.

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Speaker 4: The troops have no better commander in chief than Donald Trump.

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Speaker 4: As I've said to many of you in private meetings,

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Speaker 4: when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary

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Speaker 4: charge he gave me was to bring the warrior.

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Speaker 2: Culture back to the Department of Defense.

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Speaker 4: He liked me once a Pentagon laser focused on lethality, meritocracy,

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Speaker 4: war fighting, accountability, and readiness.

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Speaker 3: Continues.

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Speaker 2: Returning the Pentamon back to war fighting. That's it. That's

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Speaker 2: my job.

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Speaker 3: Mister Hexath suspends your remarks. Let me just say this,

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Speaker 3: the Capitol Police are going to remove immediately individuals that

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Speaker 3: are disrupting the hearing. I see a pattern attempted to

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Speaker 3: be inflicted on the committee, and we're simply not going

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Speaker 3: to tolerate that. You may proceed.

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Speaker 2: To bring back war fighting if confirmed.

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Speaker 4: I'm going to work with President Trump and this committee

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Speaker 4: to one restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon and

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Speaker 4: throughout our fighting force. In doing so, we will re

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Speaker 4: establish trust in our military, addressing the recruiting crisis, the

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Speaker 4: retention crisis, and readiness crisis in our rank.

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Speaker 8: Members of the Decision Security Force will remove members.

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Speaker 3: Mister Hesseith, you may, you may.

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Speaker 4: The strength of our military is our unity and our

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Speaker 4: shared purpose, not our differences. Number two, we're going to

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Speaker 4: rebuild our military, always matching threats to capabilities. This includes

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Speaker 4: reviving our defense industrial base, reforming the acquisitions process as

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Speaker 4: you mentioned, mister Chairman, no more value of death for

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Speaker 4: new defense companies, modernizing our nuclear triad, ensuring the Pentagon

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Speaker 4: can pass an audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.

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Speaker 2: And number three, we're going to re establish de terms.

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Speaker 4: First and foremost, we will defend our homeland, our boarder,

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Speaker 4: and our skies. Second, we will work with our partners

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Speaker 4: and allies to deter aggression in the Indo Pacific from

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Speaker 4: the communist Chinese.

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Speaker 2: And finally, we will responsibly end wars.

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Speaker 4: To ensure that we prioritize our resources to reorient to

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Speaker 4: larger threats. We can no longer count on reputational deterrence.

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Speaker 2: We need real deterrence.

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Speaker 4: The Department of Defense under Donald Trump will achieve peace

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Speaker 4: through strength, and in pursuing these America First national security goals,

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Speaker 4: will remain patriotically apolitical and stridently constitutional. Unlike the current administration,

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Speaker 4: politics should play no part in military matters. We are

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Speaker 4: not Republicans. We are not democrats. We are American warriors.

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Speaker 4: Our standards will be high, and they will be equal,

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Speaker 4: not equitable, it's a very different word.

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Speaker 5: We need to make.

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Speaker 4: Sure every warrior is fully qualified on their assigned weapons system,

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Speaker 4: every pilot's fully qualified and current on the aircraft they

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Speaker 4: are flying. And every general or flag officer is selected

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Speaker 4: for leadership or promotion purely based on performance, readiness and merit.

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Speaker 4: Leaders at all levels will be held accountable, and war

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Speaker 4: fighting and lethality and the readiness of the troops and

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Speaker 4: their families will be our only focus. This has been

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Speaker 4: my focus ever since I first put on the uniform

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Speaker 4: as a young Army ROTC cadet at Princeton University in

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Speaker 4: two thousand and one. I joined the military because I

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Speaker 4: love my country and felt an obligation to defend it.

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Speaker 4: I served with incredible Americans in Guantanamo Bay, in Iraq,

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Speaker 4: in Afghanistan, and on the streets of Washing in DC,

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Speaker 4: many of which are with me here today. This includes

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Speaker 4: enlisted soldiers I helped become American citizens and Muslim allies

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Speaker 4: I helped immigrate from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Speaker 2: Because when I took off the.

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Speaker 4: Uniform, my mission never stopped now it is true and

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Speaker 4: has been acknowledged, that I don't have a similar biography

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Speaker 4: to defense secretaries of the last thirty years. But as

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Speaker 4: President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop

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Speaker 4: the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials, whether they are

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Speaker 4: retire generals, academics, or defense contractor executives. And where has

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Speaker 4: it gotten us? He believes, and I humbly agree, that

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Speaker 4: it's time to give someone with dust on his boots

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Speaker 4: the helm, a change agent, someone with no vested interest

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Speaker 4: in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives. My

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Speaker 4: only special interest is the warf deterring wars and if

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Speaker 4: called upon, winning wars by ensuring our warriors never enter

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Speaker 4: a fair fight, we let them win and we bring

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Speaker 4: them home. Like many of my generation, I've been there.

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Speaker 4: I've led troops in combat. I've been on.

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Speaker 2: Patrol for days. I've pulled a trigger down range, heard.

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Speaker 4: Bullets whiz by, flexcuffed insurgents, called in close air support,

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Speaker 4: led metavacs, dodged IEDs, pulled out dead bodies, and knelt

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Speaker 4: before a battlefield cross. This is not academic for me.

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Speaker 4: This is my life. I led then, and I will lead. Now,

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Speaker 4: ask anyone who's ever worked for me or with me,

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Speaker 4: I know what I don't know my success as a leader,

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Speaker 4: and I very much look forward to discussing my organization's

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Speaker 4: successes at That's for Freedom and Dicerned Veterans for America.

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Speaker 4: I'm incredibly proud of the work that we've done, but

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Speaker 4: my success as a leader has always been setting a

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Speaker 4: clear vision, hiring people smarter and more capable than me,

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Speaker 4: empowering them to succeed, holding everyone accountable, and driving toward

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Speaker 4: clear major metrics. Build the plan, work the plan, and

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Speaker 4: then work harder than everyone else around you. I've sworn

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Speaker 4: an oath to the Constitution before, and if confirmed, I

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Speaker 4: will proudly do it again this time for the most

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Speaker 4: important deployment of my life. I pledged to be a

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Speaker 4: faithful partner to this committee, taking input and respecting oversight.

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Speaker 4: We share the same goals, a ready, lethal military, the

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Speaker 4: health and well being of our troops, and a strong

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Speaker 4: and secure America.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for the time, and I look forward to

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Speaker 2: your questions.

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Speaker 3: Thank you very much, mister hag Sith. Before we begin

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Speaker 3: with member questions, I would like to remind my colleagues

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Speaker 3: that consistent with the bipartisans staff agreement from December and

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Speaker 3: in concert with exactly how this committee dealt with the

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Speaker 3: last Secretary of Defense nominee. Each member will be recognized

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Speaker 3: for one round of seven minutes to question the nominee.

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Speaker 3: Out of respect for the time of all members of

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Speaker 3: this committee. The time limits will be tightly enforced. We've

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Speaker 3: now been here forty five minutes, and I think we've

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Speaker 3: done very well with the time. But at this point

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Speaker 3: I will begin my questioning of the nominee. Mister hexas

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Speaker 3: you and your family have your criticism of your nomination

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Speaker 3: since it was announced in November. Let's get into this

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Speaker 3: allegation about sexual assault, inappropriate workplace behavior, alcohol abuse, and

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Speaker 3: financial mismanagement during your time as a non profit executive.

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Speaker 3: I should know to that the majority of these have

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Speaker 3: come from anonymous sources in liberal media publications. But I'm

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Speaker 3: want to give you an opportunity to respond to these allegations, sir.

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Speaker 2: Mister chairman.

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Speaker 4: Mister chairman, thank you for that opportunity. You are correct.

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Speaker 4: We undertook this responsibility with an obligation to the troops

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Speaker 4: to do right by them for our warfighters, and what

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Speaker 4: became very evident to us from the beginning. There was

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Speaker 4: a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us.

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Speaker 4: That was clear from moment one. And what we knew

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Speaker 4: is that it wasn't about me. Most of it was

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Speaker 4: about President Donald Trump, who's had to endure the very

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Speaker 4: same thing for much longer amounts of time, and he

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Speaker 4: endured it incredibly strong ways. So we in some ways

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Speaker 4: knew it was coming. We didn't understand the depth of

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Speaker 4: the dishonesty that would come with it. So from story

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Speaker 4: story in the media, left wing media, we saw anonymous

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Speaker 4: source after anonymous source, based on second or third hand accounts,

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Speaker 4: and time and time again, stories would come out and

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Speaker 4: people would reach out to me and say, you know,

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Speaker 4: I've spoken to this reporter about who you really are,

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Speaker 4: and I was willing to go on the record, but

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Speaker 4: they didn't print my quote.

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Speaker 2: They didn't print any of my quotes.

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Speaker 4: Or I've worked with you for ten years, or I

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Speaker 4: was your accountant, or I was your chief operating officer,

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Speaker 4: or I was your board member, or I was with

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Speaker 4: you on one hundred different tour stops for Concerned Veterans

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Speaker 4: for America.

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Speaker 2: No one called me. No one asked.

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Speaker 4: About your conduct on the record or off the record. Instead,

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Speaker 4: a small handful of anonymous sources were allowed to drive

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Speaker 4: a smear campaign an agenda about me because our left

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Speaker 4: wing media in America today sadly doesn't care about the truth.

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Speaker 4: All they were out to do, mister Chairman, was to

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Speaker 4: destroy me. And why do they want to destroy me?

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Speaker 4: Because I'm a change agent and a threat to them

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Speaker 4: because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower

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Speaker 4: me to bring the Defense Department back to what it

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Speaker 4: really should be, which is warfighting. So I'm willing to

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Speaker 4: endure these attacks.

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Speaker 2: But what I will do.

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Speaker 4: Is stand up for the truth and for my reputation.

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Speaker 4: False attacks, anonymous attacks, repeated ad nauseum, printed as nauseum,

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Speaker 4: as facts we have provided to the committee, mister Chairman,

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Speaker 4: And I know you're going to share on the record

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Speaker 4: statement after on the record statement from people who have

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Speaker 4: served with me, worked with me at Fox News. Concern, vets,

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Speaker 4: vets for freedom, you name it, from the top.

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Speaker 2: Of the chain to the bottom.

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Speaker 4: Who will say I treat them with respect, with kindness,

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Speaker 4: with dignity.

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Speaker 2: That's men, that's women.

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Speaker 4: That's black, that's white, that's every background I have prided

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Speaker 4: myself as a leader of respecting people, being professional. That

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Speaker 4: is the balance of mind. I'm not a perfect person,

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Speaker 4: as has been acknowledged, saved by the grace of God,

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Speaker 4: by Jesus and Jenny. I'm not a perfect person, but

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Speaker 4: redemption is real, and God forged me in ways that

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Speaker 4: I know I'm prepared for. And I'm honored by the

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Speaker 4: people standing and sitting behind me and look forward to

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Speaker 4: leading this Pentagon on behalf of the war fighters.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, mister Hexath, and frankly, I'm sure there are

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Speaker 3: millions of Americans watching who would agree that they've experienced

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Speaker 3: that same sort of redemption. So I do appreciate that.

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Speaker 3: I realized that it involves a little bearing of the soul,

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Speaker 3: but thank you for that. Now let's talk about top

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Speaker 3: line defense spending. I have a plan. I think you've

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Speaker 3: read it. I've issued another plan for Freedom's Forge, which

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Speaker 3: you've also had a chance to look at, and you

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Speaker 3: have noted correctly that the current trend line of defense

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Speaker 3: spending falling below three percent of our GDP is a

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Speaker 3: threat to national security. You also said building the strongest,

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Speaker 3: most powerful military in the world must be done responsibly,

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Speaker 3: but it cannot be done on the cheap. You still

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Speaker 3: agree with that, do you not, Yes, Sir, I do so.

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Speaker 3: Tell us what you think about, particularly about my plan

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Speaker 3: to make the Defense Department less bureaucratic, less top heavy,

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Speaker 3: cut out some of the bureaucracy and layers, make it

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Speaker 3: more more friendly to startups and to new ideas contained

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Speaker 3: in my twenty or so page white paper defending Freedom's Forge.

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Speaker 4: Senator, I've had a chance to review the Forged Act

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Speaker 4: that paper. Those are precisely the kinds of ideas that

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Speaker 4: need to be pursued, and I look forward to working

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Speaker 4: with this committee to ensure we cut the red tape,

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Speaker 4: navize innovation, we rebuild the defense industrial base, cut out

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Speaker 4: the bureaucracy, all the things that are preventing the platforms

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Speaker 4: and the tools from getting rapidly from our great defense

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Speaker 4: companies here that should and those that want to compete

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Speaker 4: into the hands of warfighters. But past his prologue on this, Sir,

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Speaker 4: and I would just look at but President Trump, after

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Speaker 4: the did after the drawdowns of lead from behind under

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Speaker 4: President Obama, President Trump rebuilt our military.

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Speaker 2: He didn't start wars, he ended him.

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Speaker 4: And he didn't allow wars to start on his watch,

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Speaker 4: we've had the same kind of defense cuts under the

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Speaker 4: Biden administration. And so look, I would present to the

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Speaker 4: committee the reputation of President Donald Trump and me coming

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Speaker 4: alongside him to ensure we have peace through strength by

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Speaker 4: rebuilding our military investing as necessary.

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Speaker 2: Going under three percent, mister Chairman, is very dangerous.

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Speaker 3: Okay, we've gone forty five seconds. Tell us in that point,

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Speaker 3: get us started at least talking about deterring China and

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Speaker 3: the end of Pacific.

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Speaker 2: It starts with priorities.

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Speaker 4: The twenty seventeen National Defense Strategy was the first step

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Speaker 4: in reorienting away from simply entanglement in the Middle East,

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Speaker 4: which our generation knows a lot about, and reorienting the

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Speaker 4: behemoth that is the Pentagon toward new priorities, specifically the

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Speaker 4: Indo Pacific. So that strategy has started and was barely

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Speaker 4: followed through on under the Biden administration. So we're going

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Speaker 4: to start by ensuring the institution understands that as far

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Speaker 4: as threats abroad, the CCP is front and center, also

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Speaker 4: obviously defending our homeland as well.

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Speaker 3: Thank you very much, Senator Reid, You're recognized well.

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Speaker 6: Thank you very much. Chris Sherman.

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Speaker 9: Before I begin my questioning, I would like to make

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Speaker 9: three requests. First, many of my members would like a

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Speaker 9: second round. That has been the custom Senator Hegel was

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Speaker 9: afforded three rounds. Ashcotter two rounds, and that was done

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Speaker 9: by a Republican chairman with the consent and appropriate guidance

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Speaker 9: of Democrats.

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Speaker 6: I must say, too, my recollection.

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Speaker 9: Is I've never denied anyone the opportunity to ask the

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Speaker 9: second round of questions. As I shared, I will request

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Speaker 9: the second round, and my time is running.

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Speaker 3: I think these are Oh yeah, you're using your time. No,

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Speaker 3: if the timekeeper will will pause the time, I must say,

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Speaker 3: I think we're going to have adequate time for questioning.

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Speaker 3: And I no Democrat members have have coordinated their questions

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Speaker 3: as much as we have, and we're following the same

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Speaker 3: exact precedent on all things that we did with Secretary Austin.

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Speaker 5: So I.

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Speaker 3: Respectfully understand what you're saying, but I think we have

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Speaker 3: an agreement. It's been known for quite some time, and

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Speaker 3: I intend to with that agreement, which we made last December.

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Speaker 3: What is your second request?

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Speaker 9: Second has been public report. You and I have both

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Speaker 9: seen the FBI background investigation of mister Higgssett, and I

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Speaker 9: want to say for the record, I believe the investigation

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Speaker 9: was insufficient.

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Speaker 6: Frankly, there are still FBI obligations to talk to people.

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Speaker 9: They have not had access to the forensic ordit which

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Speaker 9: I referenced to, and the person who had access to

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Speaker 9: was quite critical.

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Speaker 6: Of mister Higsett. I think people on both.

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Speaker 9: Sides have suggested that they get the report. I know

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Speaker 9: your colleagues have asked for it. Sentaer Thom assured me

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Speaker 9: personally that he thought it was an appropriate idea, so

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Speaker 9: I would ask, and I would say too as the president,

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Speaker 9: one of President Trump's appointees had simple and very complicated

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Speaker 9: personal issues. The report was made available to all the

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Speaker 9: members of the committee. We would be falling president, and

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Speaker 9: I asked it that he made possible.

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Speaker 3: Again we are. There's been much discussion about this, and

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Speaker 3: what I intend to do is follow the exact precedent

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Speaker 3: that we've had for the last two hearings with regard

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Speaker 3: to Secretaries of Defense, not only Secretary Austin, but Secretary

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Speaker 3: Mattis eight years ago, and that was for the chair

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Speaker 3: and the ranking member to see the report. And so

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Speaker 3: that is my intention as chair of this committee.

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Speaker 9: Finally, mister Chairman, I have several letters that I would

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Speaker 9: include for the record. One from count Every Hero, which

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Speaker 9: is an organization or retired for star generals and former

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Speaker 9: Secretary of Defense that as critical of the proposed furge panels,

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Speaker 9: one from ANAN for domestic violence, one for a Council

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Speaker 9: on American Relations and also shoot me. And also several

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Speaker 9: letters that raise questions.

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Speaker 3: I would ask they be submitted for the record without objection.

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Speaker 3: They will be submitted, and mister read your time has

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Speaker 3: now expired. Just kidding, you're recognized for seven minutes.

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Speaker 6: Thank you. You're a very understanding chairman.

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Speaker 4: I like that.

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Speaker 9: I like that, miss Hexit you've written in us quote

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Speaker 9: oh yeah, and fire any general who is in carried

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Speaker 9: water for Obomba and Biden's extra Constitution, an agenda driven

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Speaker 9: transformation for our military, clean house and start over. It's

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Speaker 9: come to my attention that current serving military personnel have

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Speaker 9: received emails threatening them with being fired for support voting

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Speaker 9: the current DoD policies. One mail that was sent to

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Speaker 9: a military officer with the subject line clean house reminiscent

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Speaker 9: of your specific comment states and I quote with the

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Speaker 9: incoming administration looking to remove disloyal, corrupt, traitorous liberal officers

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Speaker 9: such as yourself. We will certainly be putting your name

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Speaker 9: into the list of those personnel to be removed. We

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Speaker 9: know you support the woke DII policies and will ensure

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Speaker 9: you never again influence anyone in the future. You and

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Speaker 9: redacted spouse's name will be lucky if you're able to

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Speaker 9: collect your military requirement and quote. Now, I want to

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Speaker 9: remind everyone that these policies that are being referred to

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Speaker 9: bate back decades of the nineteen forties and fifties with

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Speaker 9: respect to racial discrimination, particularly, and administrations of both parties,

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Speaker 9: including the Trump administration and their first party.

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Speaker 6: Cause those policies to be enforced.

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Speaker 9: Mister hazard Head said, are you aware of these emails

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Speaker 9: being sent to officers?

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Speaker 4: Senator you mentioned the word accountability, which is something we

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Speaker 4: have not had for the last four years.

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Speaker 9: Are you aware of these messages being sent to officers.

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Speaker 2: Certainly, I'm not aware of that. It's not one of

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Speaker 2: my efforts.

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Speaker 4: But there's been no accountability for the disaster of the

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Speaker 4: withdrawal in Afghanistan, and that's precisely why we're here today,

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Speaker 4: is that leadership has been unwilling to take accountability. It's

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Speaker 4: the time to restore that to our most senior ranks.

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Speaker 9: You've written publicly that DII policy or distraction and have

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Speaker 9: military personnel walking on edgshalls. Do you believe that emails

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Speaker 9: like that that are essentially threatening both serving officer and

441
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:53,280
Speaker 9: a spouse and claiming that they'll lose their pension will

442
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:57,480
Speaker 9: have a distraction and detract from the lethality.

443
00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:01,160
Speaker 4: Senator, you mentioned the forties and fifties, and your precisely right.

444
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,200
Speaker 4: The military was a forerunner in courageous racial integration in

445
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,719
Speaker 4: ways no other institutions were willing to do. I served

446
00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,479
Speaker 4: with men and women of all backgrounds because of the courage.

447
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,400
Speaker 2: Of people during game to day.

448
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:18,040
Speaker 4: It's most incredibly importantly, however, the DEI policies of today

449
00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,480
Speaker 4: are not the same as what happened back then. They're

450
00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:26,040
Speaker 4: dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells,

451
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:31,000
Speaker 4: not putting meritocracy first. That's the indictment that's made by

452
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,480
Speaker 4: those serving right now and why we're having this conversation.

453
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,600
Speaker 9: All of your public comments don't talk about meritocracy. They

454
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:43,920
Speaker 9: talk about liberal democratic efforts that are destroying the military,

455
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:49,240
Speaker 9: that those people are enemies. That's not meritocracy, that's a

456
00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:54,920
Speaker 9: political view. And your goal, as I see emerging, is

457
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,920
Speaker 9: to politicize the military in favor of your particular positions,

458
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,200
Speaker 9: which you have outlined extensively, which would be the worst

459
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,680
Speaker 9: blow to the professionalism of the United States military and

460
00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 9: would undercut readiness, undercut retention.

461
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:13,320
Speaker 6: Because I can.

462
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:17,360
Speaker 9: See officers receiving these emails beginning to wonder very seriously

463
00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:22,400
Speaker 9: if they should continue. Let me change subjects for a

464
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:29,040
Speaker 9: moment here. You've been instrumental in securing pardons for several

465
00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:34,160
Speaker 9: convicted war criminals, and at least two of these cases,

466
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 9: the military personnel who served in combat with these convicted

467
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:42,480
Speaker 9: service members were not supportive of the partons. They did

468
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:49,840
Speaker 9: their duty as soldiers to report war crimes. Your definition

469
00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:53,080
Speaker 9: of lethality seems to embrace those people who do commit

470
00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,840
Speaker 9: law crimes rather than those who stand up and say

471
00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 9: this is not right. So what's respond one service murmers

472
00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:07,360
Speaker 9: who personally witnesses and took courageously reported them to their superiors.

473
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:09,600
Speaker 2: Senator.

474
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:13,320
Speaker 4: As someone who's led men in combat directly and had

475
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:17,040
Speaker 4: to make very difficult decisions, I've thought very deeply about

476
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:21,480
Speaker 4: the balance between legality and lethality, ensuring that the men

477
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,240
Speaker 4: and women on the front lines have the opportunity to destroy,

478
00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:26,960
Speaker 4: with and close the enemy, and that lawyers aren't the

479
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:27,920
Speaker 4: ones getting in the way.

480
00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:31,360
Speaker 2: I'm not talking about disavowing the laws.

481
00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,960
Speaker 4: Of war or the Geneva Conventions or the Uniform Code

482
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,240
Speaker 4: of Military Justice, Sir. I'm talking about restrictive rules of

483
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:41,560
Speaker 4: engagement that these men and women behind me understand they've

484
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,960
Speaker 4: lived with on the battlefield, which has made it more

485
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,080
Speaker 4: difficult to defeat our enemies.

486
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:47,800
Speaker 2: In many of the cases you're talking about.

487
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:53,000
Speaker 4: In particular, Sir, there was evidence withheld there was proscatorial misconduct.

488
00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:56,280
Speaker 4: And as someone who looks case by case and defaults

489
00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,920
Speaker 4: to the warfighter, to the men and women with dust

490
00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,840
Speaker 4: on their boots, not the second guessers in air conditioned

491
00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:03,080
Speaker 4: offices in Washington, d C.

492
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:04,960
Speaker 2: I look at case by.

493
00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:07,480
Speaker 4: Case and was proud to work with President Trump to

494
00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:11,840
Speaker 4: understand those cases and ensure that our warriors are always

495
00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:12,400
Speaker 4: looked out for.

496
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:16,360
Speaker 9: Those cases were adjudicated, were by adjudicated by who people

497
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,440
Speaker 9: in Washington or fellow noncommissioned officers who had also served

498
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,200
Speaker 9: to sacrifice and believed in the ethic of the military.

499
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:26,280
Speaker 6: Who who are the court martial center.

500
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:31,640
Speaker 4: In multiple cases they were actually acquitted regardless of where

501
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 4: those creating authorities were yesterday.

502
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,200
Speaker 9: Some were but others were convicted and you asked for part.

503
00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,160
Speaker 9: That's the only reason you asked for pardon, because they

504
00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:43,640
Speaker 9: were convicted. But the other factor, too is you've already

505
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:48,000
Speaker 9: disparaged in writing the Geneva Convention, the rules of law,

506
00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:51,719
Speaker 9: all of these things. How will you be able to

507
00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 9: effectively lead a military in which one of the principal

508
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 9: elements is discipline, spectful, lawful authority.

509
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:03,800
Speaker 6: You have made statements to your.

510
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:06,920
Speaker 9: Platoon after being briefed by a JAG officer.

511
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:09,600
Speaker 6: Well, by the way, would you explain what a jag

512
00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:10,040
Speaker 6: off is?

513
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:16,160
Speaker 4: I don't think I need to, sir. Why not because

514
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:17,920
Speaker 4: the men and women watching understand.

515
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,040
Speaker 6: Well, perhaps some my colleagues don't understand.

516
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,480
Speaker 4: It would be a JAG officer who puts his or

517
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,960
Speaker 4: her own priorities in front of the warfighters, their promotions,

518
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,600
Speaker 4: their medals, in front of having the backs that those

519
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,240
Speaker 4: are making the tough calls on the front lines.

520
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:37,000
Speaker 6: Thank you, interesting, thank you, thank you very much.

521
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:41,400
Speaker 10: Sucher Fisher Thank you, mister Chairman, and welcome mister Higseth.

522
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,600
Speaker 10: To you and to your family, Thank you for the

523
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,240
Speaker 10: meeting that we had. We talked about a number of things.

524
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:53,320
Speaker 10: First and foremost was that nuclear weapons are foundational to

525
00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:58,200
Speaker 10: our national defense and having a safe, effective, and credible

526
00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:03,360
Speaker 10: nuclear deterrent underpins our alliances and as you note, deters

527
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:08,160
Speaker 10: our adversaries. Nuclear deterrence has been and you and I,

528
00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:11,120
Speaker 10: I believe, agreed on this. It must continue to be

529
00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:16,760
Speaker 10: unequivocally the highest priority mission of the Department of Defense.

530
00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:21,960
Speaker 10: But deterrence only works if our adversaries believe our nuclear

531
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,759
Speaker 10: forces are effective and credible. All three legs of our

532
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:32,319
Speaker 10: triad are under going that generational recapitalization programs and we

533
00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,400
Speaker 10: cannot afford any more delays in those programs.

534
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:38,640
Speaker 4: Sir, do you believe.

535
00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:46,440
Speaker 10: And agree with President Trump's twenty eighteen Nuclear Posture review

536
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:51,000
Speaker 10: that preventing adversary and nuclear tax is quote the highest

537
00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:53,080
Speaker 10: priority of the United States.

538
00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:54,480
Speaker 2: A Senator, Yes, I do.

539
00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:58,440
Speaker 10: If confirmed, will you commit to supporting all three legs

540
00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:02,640
Speaker 10: of the nuclear t it and using every tool available

541
00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:05,120
Speaker 10: to deliver these systems on schedule.

542
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:10,719
Speaker 4: Senator, yes, I do, because ultimately our deterrence. Our survival

543
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:16,400
Speaker 4: is reliant upon the capability, the perception and the reality

544
00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:18,880
Speaker 4: of the capability of our nuclear triad. We have to

545
00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:21,480
Speaker 4: invest in its modernization for the defense of our nation.

546
00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:26,920
Speaker 10: While former secretaries of Defense have stated that nuclear deterrence

547
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:31,440
Speaker 10: is the highest priority, we haven't really seen that translated

548
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:36,400
Speaker 10: into budget requests or using the tools like the Defense

549
00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:41,960
Speaker 10: Production Act. You've spoken about increasing lethality, We've spoken about

550
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:47,920
Speaker 10: getting programs done faster. How would you actually implement a

551
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:52,920
Speaker 10: culture change so that we can see these delivery schedules.

552
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:55,680
Speaker 11: Move forward be rewarded.

553
00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:59,200
Speaker 10: I can tell you in most every briefing we have,

554
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:02,040
Speaker 10: the schedules were on are too late.

555
00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,799
Speaker 4: So what would you do well? Ultimately ultimately focused first

556
00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:08,760
Speaker 4: on the things that are most important. As we have discussed, Senator,

557
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:13,120
Speaker 4: the nuclear triad, understanding whether it's one welcome minuteman to

558
00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:13,720
Speaker 4: the sentinel.

559
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:14,640
Speaker 5: Gotta be quick.

560
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,840
Speaker 12: Okay, you can bring the camera in or just put

561
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,000
Speaker 12: just put me on the side right now. We're gonna

562
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:25,680
Speaker 12: do some Okay, there we are, Pete is that's Senator

563
00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:30,640
Speaker 12: deb Fisher from Nebraska asking questions about the nuclear tride.

564
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:32,920
Speaker 12: We're going to go back as soon as the Democrats. Look,

565
00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:36,759
Speaker 12: it's stays of thunder. The preamble. Pete Hexath, who has

566
00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:41,160
Speaker 12: been kind of a relentless onslaught both from the audience

567
00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:44,760
Speaker 12: and from the and from the Democrats. Senator Jack Reeder,

568
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:49,120
Speaker 12: I think was an army officer, a scathing opening statement.

569
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,479
Speaker 12: We're going to try to play clips from that later,

570
00:36:52,520 --> 00:37:00,000
Speaker 12: attacking Pete hexas character his support of he said war criminals,

571
00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:04,920
Speaker 12: of trashing people in the Pentagon. Look, Pete Hexath is

572
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,239
Speaker 12: an agent of change. This is going to be a

573
00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,680
Speaker 12: very intense hearing. They've already asked for the Democrats. Jack

574
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:14,000
Speaker 12: Reid has already asked for two days. He's asked for

575
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:18,160
Speaker 12: an extension into tomorrow or maybe Thursday, that has not

576
00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:21,680
Speaker 12: been granted. For the audience, understand that this is the

577
00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:24,680
Speaker 12: kickoff to these confirmation hearings, and they are gonna come

578
00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:28,319
Speaker 12: hard for President Trump's nominees. They're gonna come hard for

579
00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:32,440
Speaker 12: Pete Hegsath, They're gonna come hard for Tulsea Gabbert, They're

580
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:35,120
Speaker 12: gonna come hard for Bobby Kennedy. They're gonna come hard

581
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:38,919
Speaker 12: for Cash Mattel and folks. They've already scheduled two days

582
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:43,480
Speaker 12: for Pam Bondi, Pam Bondy, who is really a compromise

583
00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:44,240
Speaker 12: from Gates.

584
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,759
Speaker 5: And obviously we love Pam, we known it for a

585
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:47,400
Speaker 5: long time.

586
00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:49,840
Speaker 12: They've already scheduled two days for Pam Bondi, So I

587
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:51,880
Speaker 12: don't think Pam Bondy is gonna get They're gonna come

588
00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:53,680
Speaker 12: hard at Pam Bondi over two days.

589
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:55,240
Speaker 5: We're going to try to cover.

590
00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,680
Speaker 12: This this week as much as you can hear in

591
00:37:57,719 --> 00:37:59,520
Speaker 12: warroom and Real Americas's voice is gonna.

592
00:37:59,320 --> 00:37:59,719
Speaker 5: Be dipping in.

593
00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:01,200
Speaker 12: And now what I want to do is we're going

594
00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:03,920
Speaker 12: to go back because I think it's very instructive for

595
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:07,080
Speaker 12: the audience to see the angle of attack that Democrats

596
00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:09,359
Speaker 12: are going to come at the Trump UH, at the

597
00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:13,479
Speaker 12: second Trump administration. Pete Hexath is really an agent of change.

598
00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,200
Speaker 12: And what I mean by that is Pete is a

599
00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:19,040
Speaker 12: young was a junior officer who served in combat, led

600
00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:20,080
Speaker 12: troops in combat.

601
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:22,520
Speaker 5: UH, he's got the warrior ethos.

602
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,200
Speaker 12: This was laid out by Mike Waltz, who I think

603
00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,600
Speaker 12: is a lieutenant colonel in the Green Beret who's the

604
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:33,480
Speaker 12: National Security advisor for President Trump and UH, and he

605
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:37,000
Speaker 12: laid out the warrior ethos what President Trump's looking for

606
00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:39,920
Speaker 12: is a radical kind of shake up over the Pentagon.

607
00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:43,040
Speaker 12: We don't fight wars to win wars. It's it's very

608
00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:45,120
Speaker 12: much just a bunch of military bureaucrats.

609
00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:45,799
Speaker 13: Uh.

610
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:47,399
Speaker 5: It's infected with.

611
00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:51,480
Speaker 12: This DEI, all this nonsense of DEI and infects it.

612
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,760
Speaker 12: And and General Jack Keane said, And I love General

613
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,279
Speaker 12: Keen a great a really great man, a strong guy.

614
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:01,239
Speaker 12: Uh said, Oh, you know, we don't need Pete, you

615
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:04,120
Speaker 12: need somebody else. That DEI can be taken. Just President

616
00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:06,759
Speaker 12: gives an order, it will be the building will implement it.

617
00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:09,080
Speaker 12: A General I beg to differ it. I think you've

618
00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,240
Speaker 12: got to take this and get it out, root and branch.

619
00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:14,880
Speaker 12: Pete hexas the guy to do that. Like I said,

620
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 12: Denver and my own crack production team is going to

621
00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:19,400
Speaker 12: give me a heads up as soon as you go

622
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,400
Speaker 12: back to Democrats. I want it because I want you

623
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:24,640
Speaker 12: to see. This is the kickoff of how they're going

624
00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,120
Speaker 12: to handle President Trump's nominees. And it's not going to

625
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,399
Speaker 12: be fair. Right, Nobody said this had to be fair.

626
00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:30,960
Speaker 12: It should be. I mean what it should be is

627
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:34,560
Speaker 12: very even handed because it's advice and consent. They're not

628
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:36,160
Speaker 12: going to look at it like this, You're going to

629
00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:39,719
Speaker 12: look at his political warfare. Their belief is President Trump

630
00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,960
Speaker 12: does not get his selection of cabinet officials he wants

631
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:44,480
Speaker 12: to work for him.

632
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:46,960
Speaker 5: They believe this is the opening.

633
00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,880
Speaker 12: Salvo of I would say, actually the way they're going

634
00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,400
Speaker 12: to confront President of Trump every day and really the

635
00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:57,600
Speaker 12: kickoff to the twenty twenty six midterms, because they intend

636
00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,759
Speaker 12: to take the House and impeach and Trump. You know

637
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,200
Speaker 12: that's coming, so the one they're not going to take

638
00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:05,640
Speaker 12: the House. But this is their intention today You're going

639
00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,200
Speaker 12: to see throughout the day. And I think this could go,

640
00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:11,560
Speaker 12: particularly if they want to stop it today and not

641
00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:14,080
Speaker 12: have an additional day. This could go to eight or

642
00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,080
Speaker 12: nine o'clock tonight or maybe even later if they stick

643
00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:20,040
Speaker 12: to this that they want to go through multiple realms

644
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:23,200
Speaker 12: today and let everybody get their questions out and not

645
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,360
Speaker 12: have it. And I would strongly recommend that Senator Wicker

646
00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:31,320
Speaker 12: from Mississippi is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

647
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:35,240
Speaker 12: As folks know, the South, particularly on the Senate side,

648
00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:39,520
Speaker 12: coming from that history of Senator Stennis and others, have

649
00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:43,320
Speaker 12: a very strong, very strong influence on the Senate and

650
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,160
Speaker 12: the House Armed Services Committee. Of the House Armed Services

651
00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:50,640
Speaker 12: Committee is Connossman Rogers from Alabama, Wickers from Mississippi. Of

652
00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:55,279
Speaker 12: course Wicker Jack, the ever perceptive Jack Posobic put out

653
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:58,680
Speaker 12: there that wicker if you notice when you cut to it,

654
00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:00,920
Speaker 12: Wicker and Jack, if you go to the UH and

655
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:02,759
Speaker 12: I think I've got up on social media right now.

656
00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:05,120
Speaker 12: Grace helped me get it up while we were doing

657
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,960
Speaker 12: the show. Here is that Wicker's got an American flag

658
00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,400
Speaker 12: on his lapel, but he's also got a Ukrainian flag

659
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:14,160
Speaker 12: underneath it. And what I put up on social media,

660
00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,800
Speaker 12: this shows you what President Trump's up against. The embedded

661
00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,479
Speaker 12: infrastructure in the House and the Senate is one hundred percent.

662
00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,319
Speaker 12: The neo cons and the warmongers are one percent down

663
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,920
Speaker 12: with continuing on in Ukraine. We've put out I think

664
00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:32,600
Speaker 12: Carrie carry donovan wrote up last night the clips from

665
00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:35,279
Speaker 12: yesterday's show where we try to say, hey, look, we've

666
00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:40,000
Speaker 12: seen Mike Waltz's comments on Fox over the weekend. We've seen, oh,

667
00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:41,880
Speaker 12: let's go to the Democrat right now, Let's cut to

668
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,000
Speaker 12: this right away, go to the Democrat. Let's cut back

669
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:44,640
Speaker 12: to the hero to.

670
00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:48,480
Speaker 14: Be Secretary of Defense from three administrations, two Democratic and

671
00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:49,280
Speaker 14: one Republican.

672
00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:52,280
Speaker 4: The first Trump administration.

673
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,600
Speaker 14: Every one of those nominees met with me and my

674
00:41:55,680 --> 00:42:00,239
Speaker 14: Democratic colleagues on this committee before the hearing, so as

675
00:42:00,239 --> 00:42:03,359
Speaker 14: you can imagine, I was disappointed when no one ever

676
00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,759
Speaker 14: followed up. When we followed up with your office, you

677
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:09,399
Speaker 14: were not able to meet. Do you understand that if

678
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,839
Speaker 14: you're confirmed to be Secretary of Defense, that you will

679
00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:16,279
Speaker 14: have a responsibility to meet with all members of this committee,

680
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:17,680
Speaker 14: not just Republicans.

681
00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:23,799
Speaker 4: Senator I very much appreciate and understand the traditionally bipartisan

682
00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:27,640
Speaker 4: nature of this committee. Their national defense is not partisan.

683
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:29,920
Speaker 4: It should not be about Republicans or Democrats, and so

684
00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:32,799
Speaker 4: I look forward to working together with you and your

685
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,279
Speaker 4: colleagues on priorities facing this nation.

686
00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:37,720
Speaker 14: Yes, I think we would expect that, And one reason

687
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,400
Speaker 14: that I wanted to meet with you was because I

688
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:43,480
Speaker 14: thought it would be really helpful to better understand your

689
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:46,920
Speaker 14: views on women in the military, because you've made a

690
00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:52,640
Speaker 14: number of surprising statements about women serving in the military.

691
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,640
Speaker 14: As recently as November the seventh of twenty twenty four,

692
00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:59,960
Speaker 14: on the Sean Ryan Show, you said, and I quote,

693
00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:02,479
Speaker 14: I'm straight up saying that we should not have women

694
00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:06,320
Speaker 14: in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective. The

695
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:08,759
Speaker 14: quote went on a little longer, but that was the

696
00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:12,560
Speaker 14: gist of it. That was before you were nominated to

697
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:16,200
Speaker 14: be Secretary of Defense. Mister hag Seth, do you know

698
00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:20,360
Speaker 14: what percentage of our military is comprised of women?

699
00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:23,880
Speaker 2: I believe it's eighteen to twenty percent.

700
00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:25,560
Speaker 11: Senator, it's almost eighteen percent.

701
00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:30,200
Speaker 14: And in fact, DoD's twenty twenty three demographic report indicated

702
00:43:30,239 --> 00:43:33,759
Speaker 14: that there are more women serving now and there are

703
00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:36,719
Speaker 14: fewer separations, so they make up a critical part of

704
00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:37,320
Speaker 14: our military.

705
00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:41,359
Speaker 4: Wouldn't you agree, Yes, ma'am. Women in our military, as

706
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:45,160
Speaker 4: I have said publicly, have and continue to make amazing

707
00:43:45,239 --> 00:43:48,640
Speaker 4: contributions across all aspects of our battlefield.

708
00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:52,000
Speaker 14: Well, you also write in your book The War on Warriors,

709
00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:56,480
Speaker 14: with the chapter the Deadly Obsession with Women Warriors that quote,

710
00:43:56,680 --> 00:44:00,120
Speaker 14: not only are women comparatively less effective than men in

711
00:44:00,239 --> 00:44:03,720
Speaker 14: combat roles, but they are more likely to be objectified

712
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:06,520
Speaker 14: by the enemy and their own nation in the moral

713
00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:10,000
Speaker 14: realms of war. Mister haig Seth, should we take it

714
00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:13,000
Speaker 14: to believe that you believe that the two women on

715
00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:16,879
Speaker 14: this committee who have served honorably and with distinction, made

716
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:19,480
Speaker 14: our military less effective and less capable.

717
00:44:20,440 --> 00:44:23,520
Speaker 4: I'm incredibly grateful for the two women who've served our

718
00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:28,520
Speaker 4: military in uniform and including in the Central Intelligence Agency.

719
00:44:28,880 --> 00:44:33,600
Speaker 4: Contributions on the battlefield indispensable contribution. Senator, I would like

720
00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:36,960
Speaker 4: to clarify when I'm talking about that issue, it's not

721
00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:39,800
Speaker 4: about the capabilities of men and women. It's about standards.

722
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:42,880
Speaker 4: And this committee has talked a lot about standards. Standards

723
00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:48,160
Speaker 4: that we, unfortunately over time, have seen eroded in certain

724
00:44:48,239 --> 00:44:52,640
Speaker 4: duty positions, certain schools, certain places, which affects readiness, which

725
00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:55,279
Speaker 4: is what I care about the most. Read I appreciate that,

726
00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:59,600
Speaker 4: and so however, time and time again to standards.

727
00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:04,920
Speaker 14: Statements publicly have not been to that effect. After your nomination,

728
00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:07,239
Speaker 14: you did state to a group of reporters that you

729
00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,520
Speaker 14: quote support all women serving in our military today who

730
00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:13,520
Speaker 14: do a fantastic job across the globe.

731
00:45:13,239 --> 00:45:14,320
Speaker 4: Including combat.

732
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:19,239
Speaker 14: So what I'm confused about, mister Hegseth, is which is it.

733
00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:22,560
Speaker 14: Why should women in our military, if you were the

734
00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:26,239
Speaker 14: Secretary of Defense, believe that they would have a fair

735
00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:29,120
Speaker 14: shot and an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks

736
00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:32,600
Speaker 14: if on the one hand, you say that women are

737
00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:35,680
Speaker 14: not competent, they make our military less effective. And on

738
00:45:35,719 --> 00:45:38,040
Speaker 14: the other hand, you say, oh no, now that I've

739
00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:41,440
Speaker 14: been nominated to be the Secretary of Defense, I've changed

740
00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,080
Speaker 14: my view on women in the military. What do you

741
00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:47,560
Speaker 14: have to say to the almost four hundred thousand women

742
00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:51,120
Speaker 14: who are serving today about your position on whether they

743
00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:54,600
Speaker 14: should be capable to rise through the highest ranks of

744
00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:55,400
Speaker 14: our military.

745
00:45:56,280 --> 00:45:58,560
Speaker 4: Senator, I would say I would be honored to have

746
00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:02,440
Speaker 4: the opportunity to serve alongside you, shoulder to shoulder, men

747
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:05,440
Speaker 4: and women, black, white, all backgrounds.

748
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:06,000
Speaker 2: With a shared purpose.

749
00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:09,880
Speaker 4: Our differences are not what define us. Our unity and

750
00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:11,960
Speaker 4: our shared purpose is what define us. And you will

751
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,040
Speaker 4: be treated fairly with dignity, honor, and respect, just like

752
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:17,520
Speaker 4: every man and women in uniform, just like the men

753
00:46:17,560 --> 00:46:20,560
Speaker 4: and women that I've worked with in my veterans organizations,

754
00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:22,879
Speaker 4: to include when I was a headquarters and headquarters company

755
00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:24,839
Speaker 4: commander in the Minnesota National Guard.

756
00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,640
Speaker 14: Well, I appreciate our real wemen conversion, But mister Chairman,

757
00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:31,280
Speaker 14: for the record, I would like to submit chapter five,

758
00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:36,600
Speaker 14: The Deadly Obsession with Women Warriors for the record, mister Haig.

759
00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:40,000
Speaker 3: Said, without objection, will be submitted.

760
00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:43,080
Speaker 14: Are you familiar with the Women Piece and Security Agenda

761
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:44,400
Speaker 14: at the Department of Defense.

762
00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:47,520
Speaker 2: Yes, ma'am, I am.

763
00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:49,840
Speaker 14: This is the law that was signed during President elect

764
00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:53,080
Speaker 14: Trump's first term. It was legislation that I sponsored with

765
00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:56,800
Speaker 14: Republican Senator Capito of West Virginia. It was co sponsored

766
00:46:56,800 --> 00:47:00,000
Speaker 14: by Marco Rubrio, the nominee to be the president election

767
00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:02,279
Speaker 14: Secretary of State. It was led in the House of

768
00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:05,640
Speaker 14: Representatives by Christy Nome, the president elect's nominee to be

769
00:47:05,719 --> 00:47:09,759
Speaker 14: the Secretary of Homeland Security. It mandates that women be

770
00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:14,239
Speaker 14: included in all aspects of our national security, including conflict

771
00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:18,080
Speaker 14: resolution and peace negotiations, and at the Department of Defense,

772
00:47:18,160 --> 00:47:18,520
Speaker 14: it has.

773
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:20,040
Speaker 4: Been the law for eight years.

774
00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:24,160
Speaker 14: Under both the Trump and Biden administrations, the DoD has

775
00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:28,960
Speaker 14: incorporated women throughout its decision making. As a result, every

776
00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:34,239
Speaker 14: single combatant commander across two administrations has told this committee

777
00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:37,120
Speaker 14: that this law and its implementation at the Department of

778
00:47:37,160 --> 00:47:43,120
Speaker 14: Defense provides them a strategic advantage operationally. Based on your comments,

779
00:47:43,480 --> 00:47:46,400
Speaker 14: it appears that the example that you would like to

780
00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:48,520
Speaker 14: set not only for women in this country, but for

781
00:47:48,560 --> 00:47:51,920
Speaker 14: women across the globe. Fifty percent of the world's population.

782
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:56,880
Speaker 14: As the perspective nominee to lead the most combat credible

783
00:47:57,120 --> 00:47:59,720
Speaker 14: military in the entire world.

784
00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:00,680
Speaker 4: Is that.

785
00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:06,080
Speaker 14: Women should not have an equal opportunity in our military.

786
00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,200
Speaker 14: So will you commit to preserving the Women Piece and

787
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:14,440
Speaker 14: Security Law at DoD and including in your budget the

788
00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:19,680
Speaker 14: requisite funding to continue to restore and resource these programs

789
00:48:19,719 --> 00:48:20,560
Speaker 14: throughout the DoD.

790
00:48:22,280 --> 00:48:26,480
Speaker 4: Senator, I will commit to reviewing that program and ensuring

791
00:48:26,520 --> 00:48:31,319
Speaker 4: it aligns with America first national security priorities, meritocracy, lethality,

792
00:48:31,520 --> 00:48:34,800
Speaker 4: and readiness, and if it advances American interests, it's something

793
00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:35,960
Speaker 4: we would advance.

794
00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:37,520
Speaker 2: If it doesn't, it's something we.

795
00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:41,560
Speaker 14: Will sins Former President propsy the law. I hope that

796
00:48:41,600 --> 00:48:42,480
Speaker 14: he agrees with you.

797
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:47,120
Speaker 3: Thank you, Senator Shaheen. At this point, I would ask

798
00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:51,880
Speaker 3: unanimous consent to enter into the record five letters of

799
00:48:51,920 --> 00:48:57,040
Speaker 3: support from female service members and combat veterans who support

800
00:48:57,239 --> 00:49:02,600
Speaker 3: mister Hexith's nomination. These women representing diverse viewpoints from a

801
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:05,360
Speaker 3: retired colonel with over twenty five years of service to

802
00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:10,120
Speaker 3: an active Beauty Navy Surface warfare commander to a senior airman.

803
00:49:10,719 --> 00:49:14,960
Speaker 3: They support mister Hegsith and a comment on his focus

804
00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:19,080
Speaker 3: on merit war fighting readiness, military training status, and the

805
00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:24,040
Speaker 3: warrior ethos. So without objection, it will be entered into

806
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:30,360
Speaker 3: the record. And now I'm honored to recognize Senator Cotton

807
00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:31,600
Speaker 3: for seven minutes.

808
00:49:32,719 --> 00:49:35,480
Speaker 15: Mister Heseath, let's continue on this line of questioning about

809
00:49:35,480 --> 00:49:39,160
Speaker 15: what sometimes referred to as women in combat. I think

810
00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:42,600
Speaker 15: that phrase is something of a misnomer. Many members of

811
00:49:42,640 --> 00:49:46,640
Speaker 15: this committee have served in combat in the last twenty

812
00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:49,640
Speaker 15: five years, to include women and men. I'm sure all

813
00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:53,440
Speaker 15: those men served with women, whether they were military police officers,

814
00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:58,520
Speaker 15: or they were pilots, or whether they were intelligence analysts, dramatics.

815
00:49:58,520 --> 00:49:59,080
Speaker 5: What have you?

816
00:49:59,080 --> 00:50:01,920
Speaker 15: You served as you served with women who were on

817
00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,120
Speaker 15: the front lines as well as that? Yes, and were

818
00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:07,520
Speaker 15: those women anything other than skilled, brave, and honorable in

819
00:50:07,560 --> 00:50:08,080
Speaker 15: their service?

820
00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:10,319
Speaker 4: There were some of the best soldiers I worked with.

821
00:50:10,360 --> 00:50:12,440
Speaker 15: So women have been serving in combat for a long time.

822
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:15,480
Speaker 15: Women have even been serving in combat units like infantry

823
00:50:15,520 --> 00:50:19,000
Speaker 15: battalions for a long time, in roles like medics or mechanics,

824
00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:20,480
Speaker 15: who what have you? So what we're talking about here,

825
00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:26,160
Speaker 15: specifically is women in ground combat roles in jobs like

826
00:50:26,360 --> 00:50:31,239
Speaker 15: infantrymen or artillerymen or special forces. Until about ten years ago,

827
00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:34,959
Speaker 15: that wasn't the case. Under Secretary of Panetta, those roles

828
00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:39,799
Speaker 15: were opened up to women to serve in. As President

829
00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:42,879
Speaker 15: Trump indicated all that he plans to rescind or alter

830
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:43,600
Speaker 15: that guidance.

831
00:50:44,840 --> 00:50:47,840
Speaker 4: You're correct to point out, Senator, that these are the decisions.

832
00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:49,080
Speaker 5: What they do. Let me just explain to you, I

833
00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:49,919
Speaker 5: should have done it early.

834
00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:53,000
Speaker 4: I'm shure he has not indicated me to me that

835
00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:55,840
Speaker 4: he has plans to change whether or not women would.

836
00:50:55,640 --> 00:50:57,120
Speaker 2: Have access to these roles.

837
00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:01,720
Speaker 4: However, I would point out ensuring that standards are equal

838
00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,200
Speaker 4: and high is of importance to him and great importance

839
00:51:05,239 --> 00:51:08,520
Speaker 4: to me, because in those ground combat roles, what is

840
00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:10,960
Speaker 4: true is that the weight of the ruck on your

841
00:51:10,960 --> 00:51:13,080
Speaker 4: back doesn't change, the weight of the one to five

842
00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:15,240
Speaker 4: to five round that you have to carry doesn't change,

843
00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:18,279
Speaker 4: the weight of the two forty provo machine gun you

844
00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:20,879
Speaker 4: might have to carry doesn't change. And so whether it's

845
00:51:20,920 --> 00:51:23,400
Speaker 4: a man or a woman, they have to meet the

846
00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:27,160
Speaker 4: same high standards, and Senator, in any place where those

847
00:51:27,200 --> 00:51:31,239
Speaker 4: things have been eroded or in courses, criteria have been

848
00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:37,760
Speaker 4: changed in order to meet quotas, racial quotas, or gender quotas,

849
00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:42,759
Speaker 4: that is putting a focus on something other than readiness standards,

850
00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:46,440
Speaker 4: meritocracy and lethality. So that's the kind of review I'm

851
00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:49,920
Speaker 4: talking about, not whether women have access to ground combat.

852
00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:52,640
Speaker 15: Okay, so thank you. So you expect no change that guidance,

853
00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:56,560
Speaker 15: But as you point out, in these specific jobs, there

854
00:51:56,560 --> 00:52:02,640
Speaker 15: are irreducible physical demands. We expect our intelligence analysts and

855
00:52:02,719 --> 00:52:05,400
Speaker 15: our mechanics to be physically fits in the military, but

856
00:52:05,719 --> 00:52:07,760
Speaker 15: it's different when you're in the infantry or their artillery.

857
00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:09,600
Speaker 15: You just mentioned a few things, let me point it out,

858
00:52:09,960 --> 00:52:13,480
Speaker 15: and artillery shell weighs almost one hundred pounds, and Abrams

859
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:16,840
Speaker 15: tank round weighs around fifty pounds. The M two to

860
00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:21,000
Speaker 15: forty Bravo machine gun with its tripod weighs almost fifty pounds.

861
00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:26,240
Speaker 15: The average weight of a full kit Ammo water Commo

862
00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:30,400
Speaker 15: body armor for a soldier is over one hundred pounds.

863
00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:33,279
Speaker 15: Nothing you can do, it can change any of those things, right,

864
00:52:33,320 --> 00:52:36,480
Speaker 15: That is physical reality.

865
00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:40,200
Speaker 4: Go ahead, yes, senator, and I would say the requirements

866
00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,120
Speaker 4: to handle those things in a ground combat unit, as

867
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:46,319
Speaker 4: far as standards can look different than those of a

868
00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:48,319
Speaker 4: medic or a drone pilot. And so it's not that

869
00:52:48,360 --> 00:52:51,040
Speaker 4: it has to be the same standard throughout its standards

870
00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:54,040
Speaker 4: to maximize efficacy of that particular position.

871
00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:57,960
Speaker 15: Let me read a quote here from one army officer. Well,

872
00:52:58,000 --> 00:52:59,759
Speaker 15: it may be difficult for a one hundred and twenty

873
00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:02,520
Speaker 15: pound women to lift or drag two hundred and fifty pounds.

874
00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:06,520
Speaker 15: The Army cannot artificially absolve women of that responsibility. It

875
00:53:06,520 --> 00:53:09,759
Speaker 15: may still exist on the battlefield. The entire purpose of

876
00:53:09,800 --> 00:53:13,760
Speaker 15: creating a gender neutral test was to acknowledge the reality

877
00:53:13,760 --> 00:53:17,520
Speaker 15: that each job has objective physical standards to which all

878
00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:21,960
Speaker 15: soldiers should be held, regardless of gender. The intent was

879
00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:25,120
Speaker 15: not to ensure that women and men will have an

880
00:53:25,160 --> 00:53:28,400
Speaker 15: equal likelihood of meeting those standards. I assume, based on

881
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:31,080
Speaker 15: your testimony you agree with that Army officer.

882
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:33,040
Speaker 2: Absolutely.

883
00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:35,200
Speaker 4: The standards need to be the same, and they need

884
00:53:35,239 --> 00:53:37,319
Speaker 4: to be high, and they need to be set by

885
00:53:37,360 --> 00:53:40,680
Speaker 4: the people closest to the problem, set closest to the

886
00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:44,400
Speaker 4: understanding of what is required by that job. Commanders, commanding

887
00:53:44,440 --> 00:53:47,080
Speaker 4: officers and COCOMs and elsewhere, who understand the reality what

888
00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:49,719
Speaker 4: they face. That's the feedback we should get. That's what

889
00:53:49,760 --> 00:53:52,319
Speaker 4: should be enshrined and enforced, and no other set of

890
00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:56,759
Speaker 4: political progatives when I talk about removing politics, ideological or

891
00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:01,000
Speaker 4: political progatives should contribute to those determinations, nothing other than

892
00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:03,080
Speaker 4: the execution of the mission.

893
00:54:03,280 --> 00:54:06,480
Speaker 15: Thank you for the record. That Army officer was Captain

894
00:54:06,640 --> 00:54:10,719
Speaker 15: Kristin Greast, the Army's first female infantry officer in one

895
00:54:10,760 --> 00:54:14,799
Speaker 15: of its first female Ranger school graduates. One final point,

896
00:54:14,880 --> 00:54:17,520
Speaker 15: you said they need to be objective, gender neutral, and high.

897
00:54:18,360 --> 00:54:22,600
Speaker 15: That's because the demands are in fact very high. The

898
00:54:22,719 --> 00:54:25,680
Speaker 15: current physical fitness test for the Army has a minimum

899
00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:31,000
Speaker 15: two mile run of twenty two miles run. And I

900
00:54:31,040 --> 00:54:33,080
Speaker 15: want the reporter to note that I'm putting run in

901
00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:36,400
Speaker 15: air quotes because twenty two miles at two miles is

902
00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:39,080
Speaker 15: not running. It may be jogging. It's probably walking fast.

903
00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:47,320
Speaker 15: Let's move on. We've got a big twenty two minutes.

904
00:54:49,440 --> 00:54:52,560
Speaker 15: We've got a big audience here. Minim seem to be

905
00:54:52,680 --> 00:54:55,919
Speaker 15: patriotic supporters of you, mister Heseth. Some of them seem

906
00:54:55,960 --> 00:54:58,319
Speaker 15: to be liberal critics of you. I would note that

907
00:54:58,360 --> 00:55:01,920
Speaker 15: it's only the liberal critics. Instead of disrupted this hearing,

908
00:55:02,600 --> 00:55:07,239
Speaker 15: as was my custom during the Biden administration, I want

909
00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:08,560
Speaker 15: to give you a chance to respond to what they

910
00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:12,000
Speaker 15: said about you. I think the first one accused you

911
00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:14,640
Speaker 15: of being a Christian Zionist. I'm not really sure why

912
00:55:14,680 --> 00:55:17,800
Speaker 15: that is a bad thing. I'm a Christian, I'm a Zionist.

913
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:24,040
Speaker 15: Zionism is that the Jewish people deserve a homeland in

914
00:55:24,120 --> 00:55:26,719
Speaker 15: the ancient Holy Land, where they've lived since the dawn

915
00:55:26,760 --> 00:55:30,160
Speaker 15: of history. Do you consider yourself a Christian Zionist.

916
00:55:29,920 --> 00:55:30,840
Speaker 2: Senator, I support.

917
00:55:31,239 --> 00:55:33,839
Speaker 4: I am a Christian, and I robustly support the state

918
00:55:33,880 --> 00:55:37,720
Speaker 4: of Israel and its existential defense and the way America

919
00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:38,600
Speaker 4: comes alongside them.

920
00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:39,719
Speaker 2: Is there great thank you?

921
00:55:39,719 --> 00:55:42,160
Speaker 15: Because another protester, and I think this one was a

922
00:55:42,160 --> 00:55:44,360
Speaker 15: member of Code Pain, which by the way, is a

923
00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:48,719
Speaker 15: Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support

924
00:55:48,760 --> 00:55:54,400
Speaker 15: Israel's war in Gaza. I support Israel's existential war in Gaza.

925
00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:57,319
Speaker 15: I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that

926
00:55:57,360 --> 00:55:58,320
Speaker 15: war as well, don't.

927
00:55:58,120 --> 00:55:59,200
Speaker 2: You, Senator I do.

928
00:55:59,400 --> 00:56:04,400
Speaker 4: I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas.

929
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:08,719
Speaker 15: And the third protester said something about twenty years of genocide.

930
00:56:08,719 --> 00:56:11,000
Speaker 15: I assume that's our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do

931
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:13,000
Speaker 15: you think our troops are committing genocide?

932
00:56:14,280 --> 00:56:17,160
Speaker 4: Senator, I do not. I think our Senator, our troops,

933
00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:19,040
Speaker 4: as you know, as so many in this committee know,

934
00:56:19,239 --> 00:56:20,880
Speaker 4: did the best they could.

935
00:56:20,760 --> 00:56:22,640
Speaker 2: With what they have were not the.

936
00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:25,879
Speaker 4: Outcomes, and tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under

937
00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:27,920
Speaker 4: the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it

938
00:56:27,960 --> 00:56:30,520
Speaker 4: doesn't put a stain on what those men and women

939
00:56:30,600 --> 00:56:33,680
Speaker 4: did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator.

940
00:56:33,360 --> 00:56:37,200
Speaker 3: Thank you, Mistake Sah, Thank you, Senator Cotton. At this

941
00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:40,759
Speaker 3: point I asked you an animus consent to offer to

942
00:56:40,800 --> 00:56:46,160
Speaker 3: the record a letter submitted my Omar A. Bassi, son

943
00:56:46,280 --> 00:56:50,880
Speaker 3: of former City Council President of Samara, Iraq, who worked

944
00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:55,279
Speaker 3: with mister Hexath in Iraq. Without objection, that will be

945
00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:57,640
Speaker 3: entered Senator Jillibrand.

946
00:56:57,480 --> 00:56:58,520
Speaker 11: Thank you, mister Chairman.

947
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:01,719
Speaker 16: Thank you mister heg Seth. I do want to thank

948
00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:04,080
Speaker 16: you for your service, and I want to thank you

949
00:57:04,120 --> 00:57:06,239
Speaker 16: for your willingness to serve in this capacity.

950
00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:07,320
Speaker 2: Thank you, Senator.

951
00:57:07,719 --> 00:57:11,000
Speaker 16: I have many concerns about your record and particularly your

952
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:15,799
Speaker 16: public statements, because they are so hurtful to the men

953
00:57:15,840 --> 00:57:19,320
Speaker 16: and women who are currently serving in the US military.

954
00:57:19,480 --> 00:57:22,440
Speaker 5: Harmful to morale, harmful.

955
00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:23,280
Speaker 11: To good order and discipline.

956
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:26,680
Speaker 16: If you are saying that women shouldn't be serving in

957
00:57:26,720 --> 00:57:28,520
Speaker 16: the military. And I'm going to read you your quotes

958
00:57:28,760 --> 00:57:32,640
Speaker 16: because the quotes themselves are terrible. You will have to

959
00:57:32,800 --> 00:57:36,000
Speaker 16: change how you see women to do this job well,

960
00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:37,760
Speaker 16: and I don't know if you are capable of that.

961
00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:40,280
Speaker 16: So I want to press on these issues that my

962
00:57:40,400 --> 00:57:44,280
Speaker 16: colleague Jean Shaheen brought up because she said it so well. So,

963
00:57:44,560 --> 00:57:47,960
Speaker 16: first of all, you answered your questionnaire. Do you believe

964
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:50,400
Speaker 16: that any American who wants to serve in their country

965
00:57:50,520 --> 00:57:53,640
Speaker 16: in the military and can meet objective standards set by

966
00:57:53,640 --> 00:57:55,760
Speaker 16: the military should be allowed to serve with that limitation.

967
00:57:56,040 --> 00:57:58,800
Speaker 16: You've said yes to that question, But then in all

968
00:57:58,880 --> 00:58:03,040
Speaker 16: of these other circumstance answers, you've denigrated active duty service members.

969
00:58:03,280 --> 00:58:07,320
Speaker 16: We have hundreds hundreds of women who are currently in

970
00:58:07,360 --> 00:58:12,080
Speaker 16: the infantry, lethal members of our military serving in the infantry,

971
00:58:12,320 --> 00:58:16,160
Speaker 16: but you degrade them. You say we need moms, but

972
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:20,720
Speaker 16: not in the military, especially in combat units. So, specific

973
00:58:20,760 --> 00:58:23,160
Speaker 16: to Senator Knnon's question, because Senator Conton was giving you

974
00:58:24,400 --> 00:58:29,880
Speaker 16: layups to differentiate between different types of combat and specifically,

975
00:58:30,720 --> 00:58:34,200
Speaker 16: as Secretary, would you take any action to reinstitute the

976
00:58:34,280 --> 00:58:38,560
Speaker 16: combat arms exclusion for female service members? Knowing full well

977
00:58:38,600 --> 00:58:40,960
Speaker 16: you have hundreds of women doing that job right now,

978
00:58:41,480 --> 00:58:46,200
Speaker 16: and the standards your two mile round, Tom is about

979
00:58:46,400 --> 00:58:50,480
Speaker 16: the Army combat fitness test. It is not the requirements

980
00:58:50,520 --> 00:58:53,920
Speaker 16: to have at MOS eleven Bravo, which is the infantry.

981
00:58:54,040 --> 00:58:58,360
Speaker 16: These are the requirements today for people serving in the industry,

982
00:58:58,480 --> 00:59:00,680
Speaker 16: men and women. They are gender neutral, and they are

983
00:59:01,840 --> 00:59:04,800
Speaker 16: very difficult to me. They have not been reduced in

984
00:59:04,880 --> 00:59:10,160
Speaker 16: any way. And our combat units, our infantry, is lethal.

985
00:59:11,040 --> 00:59:15,160
Speaker 16: So please explain specifically, because you will be in charge

986
00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:16,680
Speaker 16: of three million personnel.

987
00:59:17,280 --> 00:59:18,560
Speaker 4: It is a big job.

988
00:59:19,080 --> 00:59:21,280
Speaker 16: And when you make these public statements, and I get

989
00:59:21,520 --> 00:59:24,200
Speaker 16: you are not Secretary of Defense, then I get you

990
00:59:24,200 --> 00:59:26,400
Speaker 16: were on TV. I get you were helping veterans. I

991
00:59:26,440 --> 00:59:29,080
Speaker 16: get it was a different job. But most recently, you

992
00:59:29,160 --> 00:59:31,640
Speaker 16: said this in November of twenty twenty four, knowing full

993
00:59:31,640 --> 00:59:34,880
Speaker 16: well you might have been named as Secretary of Defense.

994
00:59:35,520 --> 00:59:39,280
Speaker 16: So please explain these types of statements, because they're brutal

995
00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:43,240
Speaker 16: and they're mean, and they disrespect men and women who

996
00:59:43,240 --> 00:59:46,280
Speaker 16: are willing to die for this country.

997
00:59:46,480 --> 00:59:49,959
Speaker 4: Well, Senator, I appreciate your comments, and I would point

998
00:59:49,960 --> 00:59:53,880
Speaker 4: out I've never disparaged women serving in the military. I

999
00:59:53,960 --> 00:59:57,280
Speaker 4: respect every single female service member that has put on

1000
00:59:57,280 --> 01:00:01,880
Speaker 4: the uniform, past and present. My critiques, Senator, Recently and

1001
01:00:01,920 --> 01:00:05,640
Speaker 4: in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances

1002
01:00:06,120 --> 01:00:09,200
Speaker 4: where I've seen standards lowered. And you mentioned eleven Alpha

1003
01:00:09,240 --> 01:00:13,280
Speaker 4: eleven Bravo mos places in units, and.

1004
01:00:13,280 --> 01:00:16,280
Speaker 2: It the book that has been.

1005
01:00:15,880 --> 01:00:18,760
Speaker 4: Referenced multiple times here, the War on Warriors. I spent

1006
01:00:18,800 --> 01:00:22,400
Speaker 4: months talking to active duty service members, men and women,

1007
01:00:23,040 --> 01:00:26,439
Speaker 4: low ranks, high ranks, combat arms and not combat arms.

1008
01:00:26,480 --> 01:00:28,680
Speaker 4: And what each and every one of them told me,

1009
01:00:28,840 --> 01:00:31,760
Speaker 4: and which personal instances have told shown me, is that

1010
01:00:31,840 --> 01:00:37,880
Speaker 4: in ways direct, indirect, overt, and subtle, standards have been

1011
01:00:38,040 --> 01:00:44,320
Speaker 4: changed inside infantry training units, ranger school, infantry battalions to

1012
01:00:44,560 --> 01:00:45,680
Speaker 4: ensure the command.

1013
01:00:46,560 --> 01:00:49,000
Speaker 11: Please give me an example. I get you're making.

1014
01:00:48,760 --> 01:00:53,280
Speaker 4: These quotas to have a certain number of female infantry

1015
01:00:53,320 --> 01:00:59,680
Speaker 4: officers or infantry enlisted, and that disparages those women commanders.

1016
01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:02,960
Speaker 16: Commanders do not have to have a quota for women

1017
01:01:03,000 --> 01:01:03,720
Speaker 16: in the infantry.

1018
01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:04,920
Speaker 4: That does not exist.

1019
01:01:05,320 --> 01:01:08,480
Speaker 16: It does not exist, and your statements are creating the

1020
01:01:08,480 --> 01:01:11,800
Speaker 16: impression that these exist because they do not. There are

1021
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:14,919
Speaker 16: not quotas. We want the most lethal force. But I'm

1022
01:01:14,960 --> 01:01:18,680
Speaker 16: telling you, having been here for fifteen years listening to

1023
01:01:18,760 --> 01:01:21,360
Speaker 16: testimony about men and women in combat and the type

1024
01:01:21,360 --> 01:01:24,920
Speaker 16: of operations that were successful in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

1025
01:01:25,320 --> 01:01:28,200
Speaker 16: Women were essential for many of those units. When ranger

1026
01:01:28,320 --> 01:01:31,040
Speaker 16: units went in to find where are the terrorists hiding?

1027
01:01:31,080 --> 01:01:33,800
Speaker 16: In Afghanistan or in Iraq, if they had a woman

1028
01:01:34,000 --> 01:01:36,520
Speaker 16: in the unit, they could go in talk to the

1029
01:01:36,560 --> 01:01:39,520
Speaker 16: women in a village, say where are the terrorists hiding,

1030
01:01:39,600 --> 01:01:43,360
Speaker 16: where are the weapons hiding, and get crucial information to

1031
01:01:43,440 --> 01:01:47,400
Speaker 16: make sure that we can win that battle. So, just

1032
01:01:47,560 --> 01:01:51,000
Speaker 16: you cannot denigrate women in general, and your statements do

1033
01:01:51,080 --> 01:01:54,360
Speaker 16: that we don't want women in the military, especially in combat.

1034
01:01:54,760 --> 01:01:58,360
Speaker 16: What a terrible statement. So please do not deny that

1035
01:01:58,400 --> 01:01:59,320
Speaker 16: you've made those statements.

1036
01:01:59,400 --> 01:01:59,720
Speaker 5: You have.

1037
01:02:00,400 --> 01:02:04,200
Speaker 16: We take the responsibility of standards very seriously.

1038
01:02:03,760 --> 01:02:04,720
Speaker 11: And we will work with you.

1039
01:02:04,800 --> 01:02:07,600
Speaker 16: I'm equally distressed you would not meet with me before

1040
01:02:07,600 --> 01:02:10,720
Speaker 16: this hearing. We could have covered all of this before

1041
01:02:10,760 --> 01:02:12,760
Speaker 16: you came here so I could get to the fifteen

1042
01:02:12,800 --> 01:02:15,480
Speaker 16: other questions that I want to get to. So women

1043
01:02:15,600 --> 01:02:18,360
Speaker 16: you have denigrated, You have also denigraded members of the

1044
01:02:18,440 --> 01:02:19,680
Speaker 16: LGBTQ community.

1045
01:02:19,880 --> 01:02:20,720
Speaker 11: Did you know that.

1046
01:02:20,760 --> 01:02:24,120
Speaker 16: When don't ask, don't tell, was in place, we lost

1047
01:02:24,400 --> 01:02:28,160
Speaker 16: so many crucial personnel, over one thousand in mission critical areas.

1048
01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:31,840
Speaker 16: We lost ten percent of all our foreign language speakers

1049
01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:35,360
Speaker 16: because of a political policy. You said in your statement

1050
01:02:35,560 --> 01:02:38,919
Speaker 16: you don't want politics in the DoD. Everything you've said

1051
01:02:39,000 --> 01:02:41,680
Speaker 16: in these public statements is politics. I don't want women.

1052
01:02:41,720 --> 01:02:42,600
Speaker 16: I don't want moms.

1053
01:02:42,640 --> 01:02:43,600
Speaker 4: What's wrong with a mom?

1054
01:02:43,680 --> 01:02:45,920
Speaker 16: By the way, once you have babies, you therefore are

1055
01:02:45,920 --> 01:02:48,480
Speaker 16: no longer able to be lethal. I mean, you're basically

1056
01:02:48,480 --> 01:02:51,320
Speaker 16: saying women after they have children can't ever serve in

1057
01:02:51,320 --> 01:02:54,160
Speaker 16: the military in a combat role. It's a silly thing

1058
01:02:54,200 --> 01:02:56,880
Speaker 16: to say. It's a silly thing to say beneath the

1059
01:02:56,920 --> 01:03:01,200
Speaker 16: position that you are aspiring to to denigrate LGBTQ service

1060
01:03:01,280 --> 01:03:05,040
Speaker 16: members is a mistake. If you are a sharpshooter, you're

1061
01:03:05,040 --> 01:03:08,720
Speaker 16: as lethal regardless of what your gender identity is, regardless.

1062
01:03:08,200 --> 01:03:08,840
Speaker 6: Of who you love.

1063
01:03:09,200 --> 01:03:12,480
Speaker 16: So please know this to be a true statement. So

1064
01:03:12,560 --> 01:03:14,880
Speaker 16: you say, you say it was a political thing, you

1065
01:03:14,920 --> 01:03:20,080
Speaker 16: say it undermined us social engineering. I don't know why

1066
01:03:20,680 --> 01:03:25,000
Speaker 16: having someone having to publicly say or not publicly say,

1067
01:03:25,080 --> 01:03:28,840
Speaker 16: who they love is social engineering. I think having that

1068
01:03:28,880 --> 01:03:32,560
Speaker 16: policy in the first place was highly problematic and as

1069
01:03:32,600 --> 01:03:35,280
Speaker 16: you said in your statement, do you agree anybody should

1070
01:03:35,280 --> 01:03:36,919
Speaker 16: be able to serve in the military if they meet

1071
01:03:36,920 --> 01:03:37,560
Speaker 16: the standards?

1072
01:03:39,080 --> 01:03:39,440
Speaker 2: Senator?

1073
01:03:39,480 --> 01:03:44,240
Speaker 4: As the President has stated, I don't disagree with the

1074
01:03:44,280 --> 01:03:45,480
Speaker 4: overturn of don'nuts, don't.

1075
01:03:45,360 --> 01:03:49,760
Speaker 16: Tell great because I don't want you thinking can't serve

1076
01:03:49,800 --> 01:03:54,160
Speaker 16: if your mom can't serve, your LGBTQ, and then last can't.

1077
01:03:53,880 --> 01:03:54,920
Speaker 11: Serve if you're a leftist.

1078
01:03:55,240 --> 01:03:59,200
Speaker 16: The statements you said about people who have views differently

1079
01:03:59,280 --> 01:04:01,920
Speaker 16: than you that we're the enemy. Are you saying the

1080
01:04:01,920 --> 01:04:05,280
Speaker 16: fifty percent of the DoD if they hold liberal views

1081
01:04:05,320 --> 01:04:09,320
Speaker 16: or leftist views or our Democrats, are not welcome in

1082
01:04:09,360 --> 01:04:09,880
Speaker 16: the military.

1083
01:04:09,920 --> 01:04:13,520
Speaker 4: Are you saying that, Senator? I volunteered to deploy to

1084
01:04:13,560 --> 01:04:18,040
Speaker 4: Afghanistan under Democrat President Barack Obama. I also volunteered to

1085
01:04:18,040 --> 01:04:21,200
Speaker 4: guard the inauguration of Joe Biden, but was denied the

1086
01:04:21,240 --> 01:04:24,280
Speaker 4: opportunity to serve because I was identified as an extremist

1087
01:04:24,520 --> 01:04:27,000
Speaker 4: by my own unit for a Christian tattoo.

1088
01:04:29,000 --> 01:04:33,360
Speaker 3: Thank you very much, Senator jillbrand you you held up

1089
01:04:33,360 --> 01:04:38,280
Speaker 3: a document and referred to it during your questioning. Would

1090
01:04:38,320 --> 01:04:43,680
Speaker 3: you like that entered into the record. Okay, willing wildly

1091
01:04:43,880 --> 01:04:48,760
Speaker 3: will semitically without objection that will be admitted at the

1092
01:04:48,840 --> 01:04:51,200
Speaker 3: point of your question, and I would like to enter

1093
01:04:51,320 --> 01:04:53,400
Speaker 3: into the record at this point a letter of support

1094
01:04:53,720 --> 01:04:58,480
Speaker 3: from retired Air Force Colonel Melissa Cunningham. Colonel Cunningham supports

1095
01:04:58,520 --> 01:05:04,600
Speaker 3: mister Hexith mentions his warrior ethos, combat effectiveness and maintaining

1096
01:05:04,640 --> 01:05:08,440
Speaker 3: military training standards. So without objection, both of those will

1097
01:05:08,480 --> 01:05:11,600
Speaker 3: be admitted and I now recognized into Rounds.

1098
01:05:12,240 --> 01:05:13,320
Speaker 6: Thank you, mister chairman.

1099
01:05:13,880 --> 01:05:14,760
Speaker 2: First of all, good morning.

1100
01:05:15,720 --> 01:05:18,040
Speaker 17: I'd like to thank you for your service to our

1101
01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:21,160
Speaker 17: nation in uniform and also your work on behalf of

1102
01:05:21,200 --> 01:05:24,360
Speaker 17: your fellow veterans, and for your willingness to enter into

1103
01:05:24,440 --> 01:05:28,400
Speaker 17: this malstrom of public service. I think the presence of

1104
01:05:28,440 --> 01:05:31,240
Speaker 17: so many veterans who have showed up to support you

1105
01:05:31,360 --> 01:05:34,920
Speaker 17: speaks volumes. I also want to recognize your family service

1106
01:05:34,960 --> 01:05:38,000
Speaker 17: and sacrifice. You know as well as anyone, that it's

1107
01:05:38,720 --> 01:05:41,120
Speaker 17: not just a man that enters the arena, but it's

1108
01:05:41,160 --> 01:05:44,400
Speaker 17: the entire family who also works their way through this

1109
01:05:44,520 --> 01:05:50,920
Speaker 17: process as well. I appreciated our meeting with you and

1110
01:05:51,000 --> 01:05:54,080
Speaker 17: with your wife Jennifer this last month. I thought that

1111
01:05:54,160 --> 01:05:55,440
Speaker 17: we had an excellent conversation.

1112
01:05:55,680 --> 01:06:01,080
Speaker 12: That's Senator Mike Round's Republican I had to focus more

1113
01:06:01,200 --> 01:06:05,320
Speaker 12: on the Democrats. Say the Republicans are going to ask

1114
01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:09,600
Speaker 12: Cotton was great because Cotton got down to a lot

1115
01:06:09,680 --> 01:06:11,800
Speaker 12: of these are going to be I'm not saying supportive,

1116
01:06:11,920 --> 01:06:15,640
Speaker 12: but to make Pete's case, we know what Pete stands for.

1117
01:06:15,840 --> 01:06:18,120
Speaker 12: We support Pete hesith, I know the audience does. What

1118
01:06:18,160 --> 01:06:21,040
Speaker 12: I want to do is really can trash. Contrast the

1119
01:06:21,120 --> 01:06:24,600
Speaker 12: Democrats Captain Bannon, Marien ban is actually in the audience,

1120
01:06:24,600 --> 01:06:27,840
Speaker 12: thinks she's tweeting out and she texted me with the

1121
01:06:29,640 --> 01:06:34,400
Speaker 12: about Jillibrand. That was Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York.

1122
01:06:34,480 --> 01:06:38,240
Speaker 12: Now the importance of Jilibrand Jillibrand has set up, and

1123
01:06:38,600 --> 01:06:41,160
Speaker 12: quite frankly, some Republicans backed it up. I think Ted

1124
01:06:41,240 --> 01:06:43,919
Speaker 12: Cruz something I adamantly opposed, and it was for these

1125
01:06:44,160 --> 01:06:48,200
Speaker 12: sexual issues, I don't know, for sexual SARTs kind of

1126
01:06:48,200 --> 01:06:51,200
Speaker 12: the me too movement. They wanted another chain of command

1127
01:06:51,320 --> 01:06:55,720
Speaker 12: than the u u C MJA, the Military Code of Justice,

1128
01:06:56,280 --> 01:06:58,360
Speaker 12: a chain of command using your chain of command to

1129
01:06:58,400 --> 01:07:01,160
Speaker 12: work through any issue. They wanted to set up a

1130
01:07:01,280 --> 01:07:03,280
Speaker 12: separate one just for these.

1131
01:07:03,120 --> 01:07:05,640
Speaker 5: Issues of the Me too movement.

1132
01:07:06,400 --> 01:07:09,560
Speaker 12: And I'm not trying to downplay that those are very serious,

1133
01:07:09,600 --> 01:07:11,520
Speaker 12: But I've said from day one, you've got to go

1134
01:07:11,560 --> 01:07:15,320
Speaker 12: through a unified command of a command structure and use

1135
01:07:15,360 --> 01:07:18,520
Speaker 12: that command structure. If you set up what Jill Brand

1136
01:07:18,680 --> 01:07:21,360
Speaker 12: was talking about when a lot of these democratic, particularly

1137
01:07:21,360 --> 01:07:25,880
Speaker 12: democratic females on the Armed Services Committee want is they've

1138
01:07:25,880 --> 01:07:29,200
Speaker 12: set up essentially what is in the Soviet army, what's

1139
01:07:29,240 --> 01:07:31,920
Speaker 12: in the Chinese Compties Party army. The first thing the

1140
01:07:31,960 --> 01:07:34,800
Speaker 12: Bolsheviks did, the first thing mal did, is in the

1141
01:07:34,840 --> 01:07:39,600
Speaker 12: military set up political commissars. Political commissars would be outside

1142
01:07:39,600 --> 01:07:42,880
Speaker 12: of the military chain of command, but would essentially run it.

1143
01:07:42,920 --> 01:07:47,880
Speaker 12: Because the political ideology of the political ideology of the

1144
01:07:47,920 --> 01:07:51,040
Speaker 12: Marxist the political ideology of the Bolsheviks and the Chinese

1145
01:07:51,080 --> 01:07:55,480
Speaker 12: Companies Party overrode everything else. And this is why those

1146
01:07:55,520 --> 01:08:02,720
Speaker 12: two militaries went through massive show trials, purgis, persecutions, et cetera.

1147
01:08:02,800 --> 01:08:06,360
Speaker 12: And then also at the lower ranks. It was never

1148
01:08:06,400 --> 01:08:08,920
Speaker 12: really the effectiveness of the troops itself, but it was

1149
01:08:08,960 --> 01:08:12,400
Speaker 12: always some political political issues. So you know, I've always

1150
01:08:12,440 --> 01:08:15,000
Speaker 12: been adamantly opposed to going outside of the military chain

1151
01:08:15,080 --> 01:08:17,479
Speaker 12: of command, but that's received Jillibrand, and she's coming.

1152
01:08:17,600 --> 01:08:19,240
Speaker 5: I mean they're coming.

1153
01:08:19,000 --> 01:08:22,040
Speaker 12: Hard at Pete Heseth, Pete Hegseth right now is giving

1154
01:08:22,640 --> 01:08:23,559
Speaker 12: as good as he gets.

1155
01:08:23,600 --> 01:08:25,639
Speaker 5: I would actually say he's giving better than he gets.

1156
01:08:25,680 --> 01:08:29,000
Speaker 12: But it's pretty intense, and folks have to understand this

1157
01:08:29,120 --> 01:08:30,720
Speaker 12: is going to be all the way through. I think

1158
01:08:30,840 --> 01:08:34,639
Speaker 12: eight or nine o'clock tonight, particularly if a Senator Wicker,

1159
01:08:34,720 --> 01:08:37,679
Speaker 12: and it's very important for Wicker to hold his ground.

1160
01:08:37,760 --> 01:08:40,280
Speaker 12: Pete Hacksath should be one day they get all the

1161
01:08:40,400 --> 01:08:42,559
Speaker 12: questions asked, they have to go back, just so folks

1162
01:08:42,640 --> 01:08:45,840
Speaker 12: understand it's seven minutes a question each. You go to

1163
01:08:46,040 --> 01:08:49,120
Speaker 12: Republican and then Democrat, Republican Democrat, and I believe the

1164
01:08:49,160 --> 01:08:52,760
Speaker 12: way it goes is through seniority, so it should be.

1165
01:08:53,080 --> 01:08:55,400
Speaker 12: They may change it up depending on what the chairman

1166
01:08:55,400 --> 01:08:59,560
Speaker 12: of the committee or the way the two parties want

1167
01:08:59,600 --> 01:09:02,840
Speaker 12: to have. There are folks in the committee. Just once again,

1168
01:09:03,840 --> 01:09:07,240
Speaker 12: when you go to these confirmation hearings, you go before

1169
01:09:07,320 --> 01:09:11,160
Speaker 12: the Committee of Jurisdiction. The Committee of Jurisdiction is what

1170
01:09:11,240 --> 01:09:15,040
Speaker 12: you report to as a cabinet official in the Separation

1171
01:09:15,160 --> 01:09:20,040
Speaker 12: of Powers, with the legislative branch having being a coequal

1172
01:09:20,080 --> 01:09:24,960
Speaker 12: partner with the executive. The executive gets to choose who

1173
01:09:24,960 --> 01:09:27,839
Speaker 12: wants to be in the cabinet. There's one thousand Senate confirmed.

1174
01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:30,320
Speaker 12: The Senate is what I call the human resources Department.

1175
01:09:30,560 --> 01:09:35,000
Speaker 12: You have advice and consent in the Constitution. It's normally

1176
01:09:36,479 --> 01:09:41,519
Speaker 12: only under extraordinary circumstances. Is withheld General Austin, who's obviously

1177
01:09:41,520 --> 01:09:44,160
Speaker 12: been a complete disaster. I think had ninety seven votes

1178
01:09:44,920 --> 01:09:47,639
Speaker 12: when he was approved. They have Democrats already saying they're

1179
01:09:47,640 --> 01:09:49,000
Speaker 12: not going to that. Pete Heggs is not going to

1180
01:09:49,000 --> 01:09:52,439
Speaker 12: get a Democratic vote, although maybe Fetterman maybe out there.

1181
01:09:52,600 --> 01:09:55,640
Speaker 12: That's where this hearing today is so important about the

1182
01:09:55,680 --> 01:09:58,040
Speaker 12: intensity of what the Democrats come to him. Plus they're

1183
01:09:58,080 --> 01:10:02,559
Speaker 12: setting a tone of how they're going to deal with

1184
01:10:02,640 --> 01:10:05,240
Speaker 12: the Trump administration and folks, so I hope you're seeing

1185
01:10:05,240 --> 01:10:07,320
Speaker 12: it right now. It's not going to be They're going

1186
01:10:07,360 --> 01:10:08,679
Speaker 12: to be full of tack mode.

1187
01:10:09,320 --> 01:10:10,680
Speaker 5: We had Rob Bluie.

1188
01:10:10,439 --> 01:10:12,800
Speaker 12: On the show last night in the six o'clock hour,

1189
01:10:12,960 --> 01:10:16,840
Speaker 12: and I hope of Grace and Carrie Donovan and others.

1190
01:10:16,920 --> 01:10:20,640
Speaker 12: Jamee Zirkle get the Rob Blewie interview I did, and

1191
01:10:20,680 --> 01:10:24,160
Speaker 12: make sure everybody sees it Blue had this, He's over

1192
01:10:24,160 --> 01:10:24,920
Speaker 12: a daily signal.

1193
01:10:24,920 --> 01:10:26,800
Speaker 5: Now I had a poll take. They had a poll taken.

1194
01:10:27,320 --> 01:10:29,920
Speaker 12: Fifty percent of the administrative state in the deep state,

1195
01:10:30,000 --> 01:10:34,080
Speaker 12: fifty percent of bureaucrats paid by taxpayers, say they're going

1196
01:10:34,120 --> 01:10:36,880
Speaker 12: to be in full resistance to President Trump. And you're

1197
01:10:36,920 --> 01:10:39,479
Speaker 12: seeing today when they look and look at this hearing

1198
01:10:39,560 --> 01:10:45,240
Speaker 12: and they see Democratic senators, particularly Christian Jellibrand, going after

1199
01:10:45,400 --> 01:10:48,760
Speaker 12: full on attack mode to Pete HEGSA, they're taking they're

1200
01:10:48,760 --> 01:10:50,640
Speaker 12: going to take this signal from those folks that this

1201
01:10:50,760 --> 01:10:55,960
Speaker 12: is okay to confront, to confront the leaders of the

1202
01:10:55,960 --> 01:10:58,519
Speaker 12: different cabinet departments. Remember, this will lead to leaks, this

1203
01:10:58,520 --> 01:11:02,240
Speaker 12: will lead to people is not following the directors the

1204
01:11:02,240 --> 01:11:05,559
Speaker 12: president taking this back to days of thunder. Next week,

1205
01:11:05,600 --> 01:11:09,160
Speaker 12: when President Trump signs these let's say fifty executive orders

1206
01:11:09,439 --> 01:11:12,320
Speaker 12: in his very first they've set aside time in the afternoon.

1207
01:11:12,600 --> 01:11:14,040
Speaker 12: Let's say it takes an hour or so to sign

1208
01:11:14,120 --> 01:11:17,840
Speaker 12: these executive orders. The executive orders are only good enough

1209
01:11:17,920 --> 01:11:20,120
Speaker 12: as you can force it through the system and make

1210
01:11:20,200 --> 01:11:23,479
Speaker 12: the system actually apply it. Then you're seeing right now

1211
01:11:23,840 --> 01:11:26,840
Speaker 12: the apparatus is going to take the lead of the

1212
01:11:26,880 --> 01:11:30,200
Speaker 12: Democrats and saying, hey, it's fine to it's fine to

1213
01:11:30,320 --> 01:11:34,600
Speaker 12: resist the President Trump, the Democrats right now. If you

1214
01:11:34,600 --> 01:11:36,600
Speaker 12: look at that, if you look at that testimony that

1215
01:11:36,720 --> 01:11:40,519
Speaker 12: is not sitting there trying to actually get to any

1216
01:11:40,600 --> 01:11:44,120
Speaker 12: understanding of Pete Heggs, that or Pete Heggs is thinking right,

1217
01:11:44,320 --> 01:11:46,120
Speaker 12: that is full of tack mode to go on the

1218
01:11:46,120 --> 01:11:49,839
Speaker 12: record to be cut into a thirty second clip into

1219
01:11:50,280 --> 01:11:52,120
Speaker 12: it for a TV advertisement.

1220
01:11:52,400 --> 01:11:53,320
Speaker 5: This is a full on.

1221
01:11:53,320 --> 01:11:57,920
Speaker 12: Political assault by the Herodins on the on the House

1222
01:11:58,040 --> 01:12:01,200
Speaker 12: Armed Services or the Senate Armed Services Commute. For those

1223
01:12:01,240 --> 01:12:04,360
Speaker 12: of you that didn't get to that didn't watch last night,

1224
01:12:04,520 --> 01:12:08,320
Speaker 12: Rachel Matta was back and announced that starting next Monday,

1225
01:12:08,360 --> 01:12:10,439
Speaker 12: she's going to be there for one hundred days. This morning,

1226
01:12:10,800 --> 01:12:14,000
Speaker 12: I think it was Rashida Jones was fired or essentially

1227
01:12:14,040 --> 01:12:16,920
Speaker 12: stepped down, was fired by MSNBC as they're going to

1228
01:12:16,960 --> 01:12:19,200
Speaker 12: go on full attack mode. Rachel Matta last night gave

1229
01:12:19,240 --> 01:12:23,920
Speaker 12: a twenty eight minute open that took on the Trump transition.

1230
01:12:24,040 --> 01:12:26,280
Speaker 12: It says the worst in history. But my point is

1231
01:12:26,560 --> 01:12:28,719
Speaker 12: people should watch it. Maybe we pull the whole clip

1232
01:12:28,760 --> 01:12:30,680
Speaker 12: and play it, put it up on our sites so

1233
01:12:30,720 --> 01:12:31,439
Speaker 12: people can see it.

1234
01:12:31,640 --> 01:12:34,719
Speaker 5: She is in full attack mode, full attack mode.

1235
01:12:35,560 --> 01:12:37,360
Speaker 12: Folks that think this is going to be easy for

1236
01:12:37,439 --> 01:12:39,680
Speaker 12: President Trump with all these issues that are up there,

1237
01:12:39,920 --> 01:12:41,760
Speaker 12: understand it is not going to be easy. It is

1238
01:12:41,800 --> 01:12:44,120
Speaker 12: going to be full attack mode every day, and you're

1239
01:12:44,120 --> 01:12:46,400
Speaker 12: seeing it right now. This is why today we're taking

1240
01:12:46,439 --> 01:12:49,400
Speaker 12: so much time. And I want to thank Real America's Voice,

1241
01:12:49,439 --> 01:12:52,400
Speaker 12: Robin Parker SIGG for letting us, for leting us go.

1242
01:12:52,479 --> 01:12:54,040
Speaker 12: We're going to go back now to the hearing. Now

1243
01:12:54,040 --> 01:12:55,800
Speaker 12: it's a Democrat. Let's go right back to the hearing

1244
01:12:55,800 --> 01:12:56,479
Speaker 12: and hear this station.

1245
01:12:56,600 --> 01:13:00,320
Speaker 13: And respect for your service to our country, and thanks

1246
01:13:00,360 --> 01:13:03,519
Speaker 13: to all the veterans who are here today, and thank

1247
01:13:03,560 --> 01:13:06,480
Speaker 13: you for your service. As the ranking member of the

1248
01:13:06,560 --> 01:13:09,439
Speaker 13: Veterans Affairs mean. I hope we can focus on doing

1249
01:13:09,479 --> 01:13:16,439
Speaker 13: better for our veterans and doing better in management of

1250
01:13:16,880 --> 01:13:20,439
Speaker 13: the Department of Defense. There's always room for improvement. I

1251
01:13:20,479 --> 01:13:23,880
Speaker 13: think what we need in that position is not just

1252
01:13:23,960 --> 01:13:29,920
Speaker 13: better but the best in financial management, because those decisions

1253
01:13:30,280 --> 01:13:33,439
Speaker 13: are life and death decisions affecting the three point four

1254
01:13:33,640 --> 01:13:38,599
Speaker 13: million Americans who serve our national security and our national

1255
01:13:38,600 --> 01:13:41,800
Speaker 13: defense and put their lives on the line. I want

1256
01:13:41,840 --> 01:13:46,519
Speaker 13: to talk about financial mismanagement at the two organizations that

1257
01:13:47,520 --> 01:13:53,120
Speaker 13: you headed which are the only test of your financial

1258
01:13:53,160 --> 01:13:56,400
Speaker 13: management that we have before this committee, the Veterans for

1259
01:13:56,640 --> 01:14:00,920
Speaker 13: Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. You took over the

1260
01:14:01,600 --> 01:14:05,320
Speaker 13: Veterans for Freedom in two thousand and seven. In two

1261
01:14:05,320 --> 01:14:08,599
Speaker 13: thousand and eight, you raised eight point seven million dollars

1262
01:14:08,640 --> 01:14:14,439
Speaker 13: but spent more than nine million, creating a deficit. By

1263
01:14:14,760 --> 01:14:20,160
Speaker 13: January two thousand and nine, you told donors that the

1264
01:14:20,280 --> 01:14:23,719
Speaker 13: organization had less than one thousand dollars in the bank

1265
01:14:23,800 --> 01:14:27,839
Speaker 13: and debts of four hundred and thirty four thousand dollars.

1266
01:14:28,760 --> 01:14:33,599
Speaker 13: By twenty ten, revenue at the Veterans for Freedom had

1267
01:14:33,840 --> 01:14:37,240
Speaker 13: dropped to about two hundred and sixty five thousand dollars.

1268
01:14:37,920 --> 01:14:41,439
Speaker 13: In the next year, it had dropped further to twenty

1269
01:14:41,439 --> 01:14:46,479
Speaker 13: two thousand dollars. You don't dispute these numbers, do you, Senator.

1270
01:14:46,520 --> 01:14:51,080
Speaker 4: I'm extremely proud of the work me and my fellow

1271
01:14:51,160 --> 01:14:55,200
Speaker 4: Vets did at Vets for Freedom, A bunch of young

1272
01:14:55,280 --> 01:14:59,960
Speaker 4: Vets with no political experience, a small group worked.

1273
01:15:00,439 --> 01:15:02,919
Speaker 2: I have a single day we raised, We raised.

1274
01:15:02,720 --> 01:15:06,519
Speaker 4: Donor funds, and I took and we have letters submitted

1275
01:15:06,560 --> 01:15:09,000
Speaker 4: for the record from almost everyone that worked with me

1276
01:15:09,080 --> 01:15:12,000
Speaker 4: every single day, including our chief operating officer, who will

1277
01:15:12,000 --> 01:15:16,599
Speaker 4: attest that every dollar we raised was used intentionally toward

1278
01:15:17,040 --> 01:15:20,679
Speaker 4: the execution of our mission, which is supporting the war fighters,

1279
01:15:20,720 --> 01:15:23,480
Speaker 4: exactly why we're here today, the war fighters.

1280
01:15:23,200 --> 01:15:24,360
Speaker 2: In the Iraq Surge.

1281
01:15:24,560 --> 01:15:26,519
Speaker 4: There was a campaign in two thousand and eight Senator

1282
01:15:26,800 --> 01:15:29,760
Speaker 4: if Barack Obama, Sean mccask you, and I believe John

1283
01:15:29,800 --> 01:15:32,000
Speaker 4: McCain would be the right pod in, and so we.

1284
01:15:31,920 --> 01:15:34,640
Speaker 13: Spent tax returns from that organization.

1285
01:15:34,960 --> 01:15:36,120
Speaker 2: I'm glad they're for the record.

1286
01:15:36,160 --> 01:15:37,920
Speaker 13: I'm going to ask to be entered into the record,

1287
01:15:38,160 --> 01:15:44,639
Speaker 13: mister Chairman, without objection. These tax returns are yours, they

1288
01:15:44,640 --> 01:15:49,240
Speaker 13: have your signature, and I'm going to ask that members

1289
01:15:49,240 --> 01:15:52,040
Speaker 13: of the committee review them because they're the only documents.

1290
01:15:53,000 --> 01:15:53,519
Speaker 6: I've asked for.

1291
01:15:53,600 --> 01:15:58,160
Speaker 13: Others I've asked for the FBI report that would presumably

1292
01:15:58,280 --> 01:16:03,680
Speaker 13: document it should have documented this kind of financial mismanagement.

1293
01:16:04,240 --> 01:16:09,479
Speaker 13: And uh, these are the nine nineties from that organization.

1294
01:16:11,320 --> 01:16:15,760
Speaker 13: By the year of twenty eleven, donors had become so

1295
01:16:15,880 --> 01:16:21,000
Speaker 13: dissatisfied with that mismanagement they in effect ousted you. They

1296
01:16:21,120 --> 01:16:28,559
Speaker 13: merged that organization with Military Families United, and thereafter you

1297
01:16:28,680 --> 01:16:34,400
Speaker 13: joined a second organization, as executive director, I want to

1298
01:16:34,439 --> 01:16:37,439
Speaker 13: ask yours and questions. I want to ask you questions

1299
01:16:37,479 --> 01:16:41,719
Speaker 13: about Concerned Veterans for America again, another set of tax

1300
01:16:41,760 --> 01:16:45,160
Speaker 13: returns the nine nineties from that organization. I asked they'd

1301
01:16:45,160 --> 01:16:46,879
Speaker 13: be made part of the record, mister.

1302
01:16:46,760 --> 01:16:50,000
Speaker 3: Chairman, without objection. Both of those returns are now part

1303
01:16:50,040 --> 01:16:50,880
Speaker 3: of the record.

1304
01:16:51,640 --> 01:16:57,360
Speaker 13: Twenty eleven to twenty sixteen. At the end of twenty thirteen,

1305
01:16:57,640 --> 01:17:00,040
Speaker 13: shortfall of one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, at the

1306
01:17:00,120 --> 01:17:03,639
Speaker 13: end of twenty fourteen, shortfall of four hundred and twenty

1307
01:17:03,640 --> 01:17:06,639
Speaker 13: eight thousand dollars. You had a surplus the following year,

1308
01:17:06,840 --> 01:17:10,679
Speaker 13: but then another deficit of four hundred and thirty seven

1309
01:17:10,760 --> 01:17:14,599
Speaker 13: thousand dollars. By the time you left, that organization had

1310
01:17:14,720 --> 01:17:20,639
Speaker 13: deep debts, including credit card transaction debts of about seventy

1311
01:17:20,680 --> 01:17:25,360
Speaker 13: five thousand dollars. That isn't the kind of fiscal management

1312
01:17:25,560 --> 01:17:28,519
Speaker 13: we want at the Department of Defense. We can't tolerate

1313
01:17:28,560 --> 01:17:32,840
Speaker 13: it at the Department of Defense. That's an organization with

1314
01:17:33,760 --> 01:17:39,920
Speaker 13: a budget of eight hundred and fifty billion dollars, not

1315
01:17:40,080 --> 01:17:43,080
Speaker 13: ten or fifteen million, which was the case at those

1316
01:17:43,120 --> 01:17:49,240
Speaker 13: two organizations, and it has command responsibility for three point

1317
01:17:49,280 --> 01:17:53,720
Speaker 13: four million Americans. The highest number that you managed in

1318
01:17:53,720 --> 01:17:59,720
Speaker 13: those two organizations was maybe fifty people. Let me ask

1319
01:17:59,760 --> 01:18:03,760
Speaker 13: you how many men and women now serve in the

1320
01:18:03,800 --> 01:18:05,559
Speaker 13: United States Army. What is sends strength?

1321
01:18:07,280 --> 01:18:10,720
Speaker 2: Senator, I would like an opportunity to respond to Well,

1322
01:18:11,000 --> 01:18:11,679
Speaker 2: I've been puting.

1323
01:18:12,600 --> 01:18:15,439
Speaker 4: I'm an ed organization concern that in s America. You're

1324
01:18:15,479 --> 01:18:17,960
Speaker 4: on the VA Committee, sir, and I appreciate your service there.

1325
01:18:19,280 --> 01:18:23,880
Speaker 4: The VA Accountability Act and the Mission Act. We're all

1326
01:18:24,000 --> 01:18:27,559
Speaker 4: brainchilds of Concerned Veterans for America. We used our donor

1327
01:18:27,640 --> 01:18:31,880
Speaker 4: money very intentionally and focus to create policy that bettered

1328
01:18:31,880 --> 01:18:33,200
Speaker 4: the lives of veterans.

1329
01:18:33,200 --> 01:18:37,160
Speaker 13: Mister heck Saith, I'm asking you a very simple question.

1330
01:18:37,800 --> 01:18:41,040
Speaker 13: How many men and women currently serve in the United

1331
01:18:41,080 --> 01:18:42,120
Speaker 13: States Army.

1332
01:18:42,080 --> 01:18:44,160
Speaker 18: Center of the United States Army four hundred and fifty

1333
01:18:44,160 --> 01:18:48,080
Speaker 18: thousand on active duty, sir. And how many in the Navy.

1334
01:18:48,760 --> 01:18:51,120
Speaker 2: And the Navy is four hundred and twenty five sir.

1335
01:18:51,240 --> 01:18:54,120
Speaker 13: Well, it's three hundred and thirty seven this year. How

1336
01:18:54,120 --> 01:18:55,600
Speaker 13: many in the Marine Corps.

1337
01:18:55,320 --> 01:18:57,439
Speaker 2: One see hundred and seventy five thousand, sir.

1338
01:18:57,560 --> 01:19:02,240
Speaker 13: One hundred and seventy two thousand, three hundred. Those numbers

1339
01:19:02,400 --> 01:19:09,920
Speaker 13: dwarf any experience you had by many multiples. I don't

1340
01:19:09,920 --> 01:19:13,840
Speaker 13: believe that you can tell this committee or the people

1341
01:19:13,880 --> 01:19:18,160
Speaker 13: of America that you are qualified to lead them. I

1342
01:19:18,240 --> 01:19:25,640
Speaker 13: would support you as the spokesperson for the Pentagon. I

1343
01:19:25,680 --> 01:19:30,320
Speaker 13: don't dispute your communication, skilled, but I believe that we

1344
01:19:30,400 --> 01:19:34,040
Speaker 13: are entitled to the facts here. I've asked for more documents.

1345
01:19:34,439 --> 01:19:37,200
Speaker 13: I assume you'd be willing to submit to an expanded

1346
01:19:37,680 --> 01:19:43,160
Speaker 13: FBI background check that interviews your colleagues, accountants, ex wives,

1347
01:19:44,840 --> 01:19:50,599
Speaker 13: former spouses, sexual assaults survivors, and others and enable them

1348
01:19:50,600 --> 01:19:51,800
Speaker 13: to come forward.

1349
01:19:53,120 --> 01:19:55,640
Speaker 2: Senator, I'm not in charge of FBON background checks.

1350
01:19:55,560 --> 01:19:58,080
Speaker 13: But you would submit to it and support it.

1351
01:20:00,040 --> 01:20:01,920
Speaker 2: Charge of FBI background checks.

1352
01:20:01,680 --> 01:20:05,400
Speaker 3: Thank you, Senator Bloomenthal. I at this point went a

1353
01:20:05,439 --> 01:20:09,479
Speaker 3: submit a letter from Captain Wade Zircle, the founder of

1354
01:20:09,640 --> 01:20:13,719
Speaker 3: Vets for Freedom and the person who hired Pete Hexath

1355
01:20:13,800 --> 01:20:14,880
Speaker 3: to run the organization.

1356
01:20:15,439 --> 01:20:19,160
Speaker 12: Bloomenthal Bloomenthal, Connecticut right there doing the questioning is guilty

1357
01:20:19,160 --> 01:20:22,479
Speaker 12: of stolen valor. He was the one that lied for years.

1358
01:20:22,520 --> 01:20:25,559
Speaker 12: This is the type of quality of dirt bags you

1359
01:20:25,640 --> 01:20:28,800
Speaker 12: have on the Democratic side. He claimed for years, I

1360
01:20:28,840 --> 01:20:31,400
Speaker 12: think he was a Green Beret medic or something. They

1361
01:20:31,439 --> 01:20:33,960
Speaker 12: had service action in Vietnam. He's been proven a liar.

1362
01:20:34,439 --> 01:20:37,400
Speaker 12: And this is who the Democrats put on the Armed

1363
01:20:37,400 --> 01:20:41,640
Speaker 12: Services Committee. Bloomenthal has no credibility, has no credibility whatsoever

1364
01:20:41,720 --> 01:20:44,400
Speaker 12: with any service member. They think that guy has a scumback.

1365
01:20:45,479 --> 01:20:49,120
Speaker 12: So right there to see the questioning of Pete Hegsatt.

1366
01:20:49,120 --> 01:20:52,000
Speaker 12: They're trying to get So remember the questioning on both

1367
01:20:52,040 --> 01:20:56,759
Speaker 12: sides is highly organized and highly thought through. Both sides

1368
01:20:56,760 --> 01:20:58,840
Speaker 12: had their staffs get together and they go through the

1369
01:20:58,920 --> 01:21:01,800
Speaker 12: kind of narratives that they they want to push. And

1370
01:21:01,840 --> 01:21:06,280
Speaker 12: that's also from the opening from the opening statements. The

1371
01:21:06,320 --> 01:21:09,599
Speaker 12: opening statement from a Jack read the Democrat was on

1372
01:21:09,720 --> 01:21:13,840
Speaker 12: before before we started. And by the way, I think

1373
01:21:13,840 --> 01:21:17,000
Speaker 12: it's a blackbird, Jenny, Oh, let's go to we gotta

1374
01:21:17,000 --> 01:21:18,960
Speaker 12: go journaling us cut like back life.

1375
01:21:20,000 --> 01:21:23,320
Speaker 19: And in his letter, mister Lucas says that mister Hegseth

1376
01:21:23,479 --> 01:21:27,880
Speaker 19: quote laid a strong foundation that postured CVA for long

1377
01:21:27,960 --> 01:21:33,000
Speaker 19: term success end quote, and that mister Hegseth quote continued

1378
01:21:33,040 --> 01:21:35,600
Speaker 19: to be an invaluable asset to both me as a

1379
01:21:35,680 --> 01:21:39,840
Speaker 19: leader and the organization end quote, So I would ask

1380
01:21:39,880 --> 01:21:43,720
Speaker 19: for unanimous consent to enter this Washington Times article and

1381
01:21:43,800 --> 01:21:46,200
Speaker 19: the letter from mister Mark Lucas into.

1382
01:21:46,000 --> 01:21:47,439
Speaker 3: The record without objection.

1383
01:21:47,840 --> 01:21:51,920
Speaker 19: Okay, thank you, mister Chair. Good morning, mister Hegseth, and

1384
01:21:52,360 --> 01:21:56,800
Speaker 19: thank you very much. I appreciate your service to our nation.

1385
01:21:57,680 --> 01:22:00,080
Speaker 19: It's something that I know you are very proud of,

1386
01:22:00,240 --> 01:22:03,320
Speaker 19: and it is something that we have in common and

1387
01:22:03,360 --> 01:22:10,280
Speaker 19: that we share. You and I have had many productive conversations,

1388
01:22:11,160 --> 01:22:17,440
Speaker 19: and just for our audience, we have had very frank conversations.

1389
01:22:17,520 --> 01:22:19,240
Speaker 11: Is that correct, mister haig.

1390
01:22:19,160 --> 01:22:21,280
Speaker 4: Seth, Senator, That is a correct characterization.

1391
01:22:21,560 --> 01:22:26,560
Speaker 19: You know that I don't keep anything hidden, pull no punches.

1392
01:22:28,439 --> 01:22:30,160
Speaker 11: My colleagues know that as well.

1393
01:22:30,640 --> 01:22:33,360
Speaker 19: So I do appreciate you sitting down and allowing me

1394
01:22:33,439 --> 01:22:37,519
Speaker 19: the opportunity to question you thoroughly on those issues that

1395
01:22:37,560 --> 01:22:41,880
Speaker 19: are of great importance to me. Just to recap those issues,

1396
01:22:42,400 --> 01:22:42,840
Speaker 19: three that.

1397
01:22:42,800 --> 01:22:43,800
Speaker 4: Are very important.

1398
01:22:44,400 --> 01:22:47,680
Speaker 19: One is the d D and making sure that we

1399
01:22:47,840 --> 01:22:53,200
Speaker 19: have a clean audit. The second is women in combat

1400
01:22:53,479 --> 01:22:56,680
Speaker 19: and we'll talk a little bit more about that in

1401
01:22:56,760 --> 01:23:01,200
Speaker 19: a moment. And the third was main hating high standards

1402
01:23:01,200 --> 01:23:04,800
Speaker 19: and making sure that we are combating sexual assault in

1403
01:23:04,880 --> 01:23:09,639
Speaker 19: the military. Okay, So, mister Hegseth, I'm going to address

1404
01:23:09,680 --> 01:23:12,400
Speaker 19: the issue because this will tie into some of the

1405
01:23:12,439 --> 01:23:15,640
Speaker 19: financial concerns that have been raised here as well. And

1406
01:23:15,680 --> 01:23:20,559
Speaker 19: it's why you know, I trusting my fellow iowen as

1407
01:23:20,600 --> 01:23:23,360
Speaker 19: for unanimous consent of its letter to go into the record.

1408
01:23:23,960 --> 01:23:27,240
Speaker 19: But like me, a lot of Iolands are really really

1409
01:23:27,920 --> 01:23:32,960
Speaker 19: concerned and upset about the wasteful Washington spending, and of

1410
01:23:33,040 --> 01:23:35,880
Speaker 19: course in our Pentagon, it's an issue that I have

1411
01:23:35,960 --> 01:23:39,880
Speaker 19: been combating for years. So there's significant room for greater

1412
01:23:39,960 --> 01:23:44,360
Speaker 19: efficiency and cost cutting within the Department, and the DoD

1413
01:23:44,560 --> 01:23:50,240
Speaker 19: is the only federal agency that has never passed an audit.

1414
01:23:51,160 --> 01:23:55,480
Speaker 19: As the Senate Doge Caucus chair and founder, that's unacceptable

1415
01:23:55,640 --> 01:23:59,320
Speaker 19: to me, and it should be unacceptable to you as well.

1416
01:23:59,400 --> 01:24:03,080
Speaker 19: So I appreciate that you mentioned that in your opening statement.

1417
01:24:03,560 --> 01:24:06,679
Speaker 19: What are those steps that you will take to ensuring

1418
01:24:06,720 --> 01:24:10,680
Speaker 19: the Pentagon has a clean audit by the year twenty twenty.

1419
01:24:10,320 --> 01:24:14,040
Speaker 4: Eight, Senator, I appreciate your work on this topic, which

1420
01:24:14,040 --> 01:24:16,280
Speaker 4: you've been involved in for a long time. You mentioned

1421
01:24:17,160 --> 01:24:20,960
Speaker 4: concerned veterans for America. I just want to clarify we

1422
01:24:21,000 --> 01:24:23,639
Speaker 4: have very generous donors who set a very clear budget

1423
01:24:23,800 --> 01:24:27,160
Speaker 4: that we stuck to every single year. So the latitude

1424
01:24:27,160 --> 01:24:29,839
Speaker 4: there was restricted, and we worked very hard and diligently

1425
01:24:29,880 --> 01:24:32,160
Speaker 4: inside it. You've also been a leader on the Pagon

1426
01:24:32,600 --> 01:24:35,200
Speaker 4: audit for a very long time. I think when we met,

1427
01:24:35,280 --> 01:24:38,080
Speaker 4: Senator I said twenty fourteen was the first year we

1428
01:24:38,120 --> 01:24:40,760
Speaker 4: discovered a twenty thirteen op ed I wrote about the

1429
01:24:40,800 --> 01:24:44,400
Speaker 4: need for a Pentagon audit because an audit is an

1430
01:24:44,439 --> 01:24:48,440
Speaker 4: issue of national security and frankly respect to American taxpayers

1431
01:24:48,760 --> 01:24:51,320
Speaker 4: who give eight hundred and fifty billion dollars over to

1432
01:24:51,320 --> 01:24:55,080
Speaker 4: the Defense Department and expect that we know where that

1433
01:24:55,160 --> 01:24:57,640
Speaker 4: money goes. And if that money is going somewhere that

1434
01:24:57,720 --> 01:25:01,519
Speaker 4: doesn't add to tooth and instead goes to fat or tail,

1435
01:25:01,760 --> 01:25:03,519
Speaker 4: we need to know that, or if it's wasted, we

1436
01:25:03,600 --> 01:25:06,439
Speaker 4: need to know that. So I think previous Secretaries of Defense,

1437
01:25:06,439 --> 01:25:12,560
Speaker 4: with all due respect, haven't necessarily emphasized the strategic prerogative

1438
01:25:12,960 --> 01:25:17,320
Speaker 4: of an audit, and myself, my deputy SECTEF, and others

1439
01:25:17,520 --> 01:25:20,640
Speaker 4: already know that a Pentagon audit will be the comptroller

1440
01:25:20,720 --> 01:25:25,040
Speaker 4: others central to ensuring we find those dollars that can

1441
01:25:25,080 --> 01:25:28,280
Speaker 4: be used elsewhere legally under the law inside the Pentagon,

1442
01:25:28,360 --> 01:25:30,200
Speaker 4: so you have my word it will be a priority.

1443
01:25:30,320 --> 01:25:31,160
Speaker 11: Okay, thank you.

1444
01:25:31,560 --> 01:25:35,479
Speaker 19: Okay, moving on to women in combat, and I had

1445
01:25:35,479 --> 01:25:38,639
Speaker 19: the privilege of serving in uniform for over twenty three

1446
01:25:38,760 --> 01:25:43,200
Speaker 19: years between our Army Reserves and our Iowa Army National Guard.

1447
01:25:44,040 --> 01:25:48,519
Speaker 19: Did serve in Kuwait and missions in Iraq, and so

1448
01:25:49,160 --> 01:25:51,719
Speaker 19: it is incredibly important.

1449
01:25:52,000 --> 01:25:54,639
Speaker 5: That I stress and I.

1450
01:25:54,720 --> 01:25:59,519
Speaker 19: Hope that, if confirmed, you continue to stress that every

1451
01:25:59,680 --> 01:26:04,800
Speaker 19: man and woman has opportunity to serve their country and

1452
01:26:04,960 --> 01:26:09,360
Speaker 19: uniform and do so at any level as long as

1453
01:26:09,439 --> 01:26:13,040
Speaker 19: they are meeting the standards that are set forward. And

1454
01:26:13,439 --> 01:26:16,839
Speaker 19: we talked about that in my office. I do believe

1455
01:26:16,840 --> 01:26:22,680
Speaker 19: in high standards. Now, I was denied the opportunity to

1456
01:26:22,800 --> 01:26:28,680
Speaker 19: serve in any combat role because I have a lot

1457
01:26:28,720 --> 01:26:32,559
Speaker 19: of gray hair, and the policy has changed since then. Okay,

1458
01:26:32,640 --> 01:26:35,640
Speaker 19: so I've been around for quite a while. But for

1459
01:26:35,720 --> 01:26:38,759
Speaker 19: the young women that are out there now and can

1460
01:26:38,960 --> 01:26:42,760
Speaker 19: meet those standards, and again I'll emphasize, they should be

1461
01:26:43,040 --> 01:26:47,519
Speaker 19: very very high standards. They must physically be able to

1462
01:26:47,640 --> 01:26:51,920
Speaker 19: achieve those standards so that they can complete their mission.

1463
01:26:53,280 --> 01:26:55,960
Speaker 19: But I want to know again, let's make it very

1464
01:26:55,960 --> 01:27:00,720
Speaker 19: clear for everyone here today as Secretary of Defense, will

1465
01:27:00,760 --> 01:27:04,920
Speaker 19: you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve

1466
01:27:05,080 --> 01:27:06,559
Speaker 19: in combat roles?

1467
01:27:07,760 --> 01:27:10,360
Speaker 2: Senator, first of all, thank you for your service.

1468
01:27:10,439 --> 01:27:13,559
Speaker 4: As we discussed extensively as well by privilege, and my

1469
01:27:13,640 --> 01:27:17,920
Speaker 4: answer is yes, exactly the way that you caveated it. Yes,

1470
01:27:18,040 --> 01:27:21,280
Speaker 4: women will have access to ground combat roles combat rows,

1471
01:27:21,560 --> 01:27:26,080
Speaker 4: given the standards remain high, and we'll have a review

1472
01:27:26,320 --> 01:27:30,200
Speaker 4: to ensure the standards have not been eroded in any

1473
01:27:30,240 --> 01:27:32,519
Speaker 4: one of these cases. That'll be part of one of

1474
01:27:32,560 --> 01:27:34,559
Speaker 4: the first things we do at the Pentagon is reviewing

1475
01:27:34,600 --> 01:27:39,000
Speaker 4: that in a gender neutral way. The standards ensuring readiness

1476
01:27:39,600 --> 01:27:43,200
Speaker 4: and meritocracy is front and center. But absolutely, it would

1477
01:27:43,200 --> 01:27:47,160
Speaker 4: be the privilege of a lifetime if confirmed to be

1478
01:27:47,200 --> 01:27:49,880
Speaker 4: the Secretary of Defense, for all men and women in

1479
01:27:50,000 --> 01:27:53,280
Speaker 4: uniform who fight so heroic, they have so many other options,

1480
01:27:53,920 --> 01:27:56,639
Speaker 4: they decide to put the right hand up for our country,

1481
01:27:57,040 --> 01:27:58,519
Speaker 4: and it would be an honor to have a chance

1482
01:27:58,520 --> 01:27:59,360
Speaker 4: to lead them. Thank you.

1483
01:28:00,280 --> 01:28:02,880
Speaker 19: Very briefly, we only have less than a minute left,

1484
01:28:03,040 --> 01:28:07,000
Speaker 19: but we have also discussed this in my office. A

1485
01:28:07,040 --> 01:28:11,200
Speaker 19: priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the

1486
01:28:11,200 --> 01:28:14,360
Speaker 19: military and making sure that all of our service members

1487
01:28:14,400 --> 01:28:17,800
Speaker 19: are treated with dignity and respect.

1488
01:28:19,880 --> 01:28:21,320
Speaker 4: This has been so important.

1489
01:28:21,800 --> 01:28:25,120
Speaker 19: Senator Jillibrand and I have worked on this, and we

1490
01:28:25,120 --> 01:28:28,759
Speaker 19: were able to get changes made to the Uniform Code

1491
01:28:28,800 --> 01:28:33,400
Speaker 19: of Military Justice to make sure that we have improvements

1492
01:28:33,600 --> 01:28:37,640
Speaker 19: and on how we address the tragic and life altering

1493
01:28:39,439 --> 01:28:44,479
Speaker 19: issues of rape sexual assault. It will demand time and

1494
01:28:44,520 --> 01:28:48,480
Speaker 19: attention from the Pentagon under your watch if you are confirmed,

1495
01:28:48,960 --> 01:28:52,320
Speaker 19: so as Secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior

1496
01:28:52,479 --> 01:28:56,560
Speaker 19: level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response.

1497
01:28:57,120 --> 01:28:59,400
Speaker 2: Senator, as we have discussed, yes.

1498
01:28:59,320 --> 01:29:02,720
Speaker 19: I will, okay, and my time has expired. Thank you

1499
01:29:02,760 --> 01:29:03,479
Speaker 19: for your answers.

1500
01:29:04,680 --> 01:29:10,559
Speaker 11: Er Herono, thank you, mister Chairman, Mister Heikseg welcome, thank you.

1501
01:29:11,360 --> 01:29:14,559
Speaker 11: I am focused on your fitness to serve, including your

1502
01:29:14,680 --> 01:29:19,280
Speaker 11: character and temperament, and your overall qualifications.

1503
01:29:18,640 --> 01:29:19,519
Speaker 4: To do the job.

1504
01:29:19,880 --> 01:29:23,639
Speaker 11: And I do appreciate the comments of Ranking Member Read

1505
01:29:24,360 --> 01:29:29,240
Speaker 11: with his concerns regarding your nomination because I share those concerns.

1506
01:29:29,640 --> 01:29:31,960
Speaker 11: As part of my responsibility as a member of this

1507
01:29:32,000 --> 01:29:34,880
Speaker 11: committee to ensure the fitness of all nominees to come

1508
01:29:34,920 --> 01:29:37,479
Speaker 11: before any of the committees on which I said, I

1509
01:29:37,520 --> 01:29:41,719
Speaker 11: asked the following two initial questions. First, since you became

1510
01:29:41,720 --> 01:29:45,680
Speaker 11: a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for

1511
01:29:45,800 --> 01:29:50,600
Speaker 11: sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or

1512
01:29:50,640 --> 01:29:54,920
Speaker 11: assault of a sexual nature. No, Senator, have you ever

1513
01:29:54,960 --> 01:29:58,160
Speaker 11: faced discipline or entered into a settlement relating to this

1514
01:29:58,280 --> 01:29:59,240
Speaker 11: kind of conduct.

1515
01:30:00,880 --> 01:30:05,879
Speaker 4: Senator, I was falsely accused in October of twenty seventeen.

1516
01:30:06,640 --> 01:30:09,639
Speaker 4: It was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared.

1517
01:30:10,080 --> 01:30:16,360
Speaker 11: I don't think completely cleared is accurate, but the fact

1518
01:30:16,479 --> 01:30:20,720
Speaker 11: is that your own lawyer said that you entered into

1519
01:30:21,360 --> 01:30:25,960
Speaker 11: an NDA paid a person who accused you of raping

1520
01:30:26,000 --> 01:30:29,479
Speaker 11: her some of money to make sure that she did

1521
01:30:29,520 --> 01:30:34,120
Speaker 11: not file a complaint. Moving on, as Secretary, you will

1522
01:30:34,120 --> 01:30:37,640
Speaker 11: be in charge of maintaining good order and discipline by

1523
01:30:37,760 --> 01:30:42,799
Speaker 11: enforcing the Uniform Code of Military Justice UCMJ, in addition

1524
01:30:42,840 --> 01:30:45,000
Speaker 11: to the sexual assault allegations that By the way, the

1525
01:30:45,040 --> 01:30:48,400
Speaker 11: answer to my second question should have been yes. I

1526
01:30:48,439 --> 01:30:52,800
Speaker 11: have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work,

1527
01:30:53,960 --> 01:30:56,759
Speaker 11: including by people who worked with you at Fox News.

1528
01:30:57,080 --> 01:30:59,440
Speaker 11: Do you know that being drunk at work is prohibited

1529
01:30:59,439 --> 01:31:01,440
Speaker 11: for service members under the UCMJ.

1530
01:31:03,520 --> 01:31:09,320
Speaker 4: Senator, Those are multiple false, anonymous reports peddled by NBCDS

1531
01:31:09,439 --> 01:31:13,639
Speaker 4: know directly, joy to the dozens of men and women

1532
01:31:15,360 --> 01:31:17,840
Speaker 4: who I worry, I'm not hearing the director my question

1533
01:31:18,080 --> 01:31:18,800
Speaker 4: and said.

1534
01:31:18,720 --> 01:31:22,000
Speaker 11: In your opening State Minister, he said, you commit to

1535
01:31:22,080 --> 01:31:25,519
Speaker 11: holding leaders accountable at all levels. That includes you, of course,

1536
01:31:26,600 --> 01:31:29,880
Speaker 11: and frankly, as secretary, you will be on the job

1537
01:31:30,000 --> 01:31:35,080
Speaker 11: twenty four to seven. You recently promised some of my

1538
01:31:35,160 --> 01:31:44,160
Speaker 11: Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking and won't drink if confirmed. Correct, absolutely,

1539
01:31:44,640 --> 01:31:48,160
Speaker 11: will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink

1540
01:31:48,320 --> 01:31:51,759
Speaker 11: on the job, which is a twenty four to seven position.

1541
01:31:51,960 --> 01:31:54,680
Speaker 4: I've made this commitment on behalf of you.

1542
01:31:54,680 --> 01:31:56,639
Speaker 11: Resign as Secretary of Defense.

1543
01:31:56,680 --> 01:31:58,760
Speaker 4: I've made these commitment off behalf of the men and

1544
01:31:58,800 --> 01:32:01,799
Speaker 4: women I'm service because here's the most important deployment.

1545
01:32:02,040 --> 01:32:04,040
Speaker 11: Hearing an answer to my question. So I am going

1546
01:32:04,080 --> 01:32:07,560
Speaker 11: to move on while you have made that commitment. You

1547
01:32:07,560 --> 01:32:09,679
Speaker 11: will not commit to resigning if you drink on the job.

1548
01:32:11,800 --> 01:32:14,360
Speaker 11: As Secretary of Defense, you will swear an oath to

1549
01:32:14,400 --> 01:32:17,400
Speaker 11: the Constitution and not an oath to any man, woman,

1550
01:32:17,600 --> 01:32:18,320
Speaker 11: or president.

1551
01:32:19,120 --> 01:32:21,040
Speaker 2: Correct Senator.

1552
01:32:21,080 --> 01:32:23,720
Speaker 4: On multiple occasions, including as a young second lieutenant, I've

1553
01:32:23,720 --> 01:32:25,720
Speaker 4: sworn an oath to the conversation, and I'm proud to

1554
01:32:25,760 --> 01:32:26,719
Speaker 4: do so, yes, ma'am.

1555
01:32:26,960 --> 01:32:30,519
Speaker 11: In June of twenty twenty, then President Trump directed former

1556
01:32:30,520 --> 01:32:34,160
Speaker 11: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the

1557
01:32:34,280 --> 01:32:39,560
Speaker 11: legs in downtown d C. An order Secretary Esper refused

1558
01:32:39,800 --> 01:32:42,519
Speaker 11: to comply with. Would you carry out such an order

1559
01:32:42,880 --> 01:32:44,200
Speaker 11: from President Trump?

1560
01:32:45,600 --> 01:32:49,240
Speaker 4: Senator I was in the Washington DC National Guard unit

1561
01:32:49,280 --> 01:32:51,240
Speaker 4: that was in Lafayette Square during those.

1562
01:32:51,120 --> 01:32:53,880
Speaker 11: Did you carry shoe protest.

1563
01:32:53,520 --> 01:32:55,240
Speaker 2: Sentery in the legs?

1564
01:32:55,320 --> 01:32:58,639
Speaker 4: I saw as direct service agency to get injured by

1565
01:32:58,840 --> 01:33:01,720
Speaker 4: writers trying to jump over the fence, send church on

1566
01:33:01,800 --> 01:33:02,799
Speaker 4: fire and destroyer.

1567
01:33:03,040 --> 01:33:05,200
Speaker 11: That sounds to me that you will comply with such

1568
01:33:05,240 --> 01:33:09,360
Speaker 11: an order you will shoot protesters in the lake. Moved on.

1569
01:33:10,000 --> 01:33:14,720
Speaker 11: President Elk has attacked our allies in recent weeks, refusing

1570
01:33:14,880 --> 01:33:18,120
Speaker 11: to rule out using military force to take over Greenland

1571
01:33:18,800 --> 01:33:22,479
Speaker 11: and the Panama Canal, and they're threatening to take to

1572
01:33:22,560 --> 01:33:26,160
Speaker 11: make Canada the fifty first state. Would you carry out

1573
01:33:26,200 --> 01:33:29,840
Speaker 11: an order from President Trump to seize Greenland, a territory

1574
01:33:29,880 --> 01:33:34,400
Speaker 11: of our NATO ally Denmark, by force? Or would you

1575
01:33:34,439 --> 01:33:37,559
Speaker 11: comply with an order to take over the Panama Canal?

1576
01:33:39,000 --> 01:33:43,000
Speaker 4: Senator I will emphasize that President Trump received seventy seven

1577
01:33:43,040 --> 01:33:44,559
Speaker 4: million votes to be the lawful commander.

1578
01:33:44,560 --> 01:33:47,920
Speaker 11: We're not talking about the election. My question is would

1579
01:33:47,960 --> 01:33:54,920
Speaker 11: you use our military to take over Greenland or an

1580
01:33:54,920 --> 01:33:57,440
Speaker 11: ally of Denmark?

1581
01:33:58,360 --> 01:33:58,719
Speaker 2: Senator.

1582
01:33:58,720 --> 01:34:00,360
Speaker 4: One of the things that President Trump is so good

1583
01:34:00,360 --> 01:34:03,080
Speaker 4: at is never strategically tipping his hand, and so I

1584
01:34:03,120 --> 01:34:05,880
Speaker 4: would never in this public forum give one way or

1585
01:34:05,920 --> 01:34:09,280
Speaker 4: another to direct what orders the president in any context.

1586
01:34:09,320 --> 01:34:12,000
Speaker 11: That sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out

1587
01:34:12,040 --> 01:34:16,040
Speaker 11: such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over

1588
01:34:16,080 --> 01:34:22,040
Speaker 11: the Panama Canal. Current good policy allows service members and

1589
01:34:22,200 --> 01:34:27,120
Speaker 11: eligible dependents to be reimbursed for travel associated with non

1590
01:34:27,200 --> 01:34:32,160
Speaker 11: covered reproductive health care, including abortions. Will you maintain this

1591
01:34:32,240 --> 01:34:34,679
Speaker 11: common sense policy, Senator.

1592
01:34:34,720 --> 01:34:38,240
Speaker 4: I've always been personally pro life. I know President Trump

1593
01:34:38,520 --> 01:34:41,559
Speaker 4: has as well, and we will review all policies. But

1594
01:34:41,600 --> 01:34:46,080
Speaker 4: our standard is whatever the President wants on this particular advice,

1595
01:34:46,120 --> 01:34:46,479
Speaker 4: I will take.

1596
01:34:46,680 --> 01:34:50,080
Speaker 11: The President tells you that this will not be maintained,

1597
01:34:50,560 --> 01:34:56,719
Speaker 11: you will not enable our service members to seek reproductive care.

1598
01:34:57,640 --> 01:34:59,080
Speaker 2: I don't believe the federal government not.

1599
01:34:59,040 --> 01:35:03,160
Speaker 11: Hearing answers to my questionable chairman. I just want to

1600
01:35:03,200 --> 01:35:06,840
Speaker 11: note that the other area that of serious concerned to

1601
01:35:06,880 --> 01:35:09,120
Speaker 11: me is President Trump saying that he wants to use

1602
01:35:09,120 --> 01:35:13,240
Speaker 11: a military to help with mass deportations, which will cost

1603
01:35:13,240 --> 01:35:17,360
Speaker 11: billions of dollars, and what that will do to readiness

1604
01:35:17,640 --> 01:35:22,960
Speaker 11: is very, very concerning. Oh, mister Hesex, I have noticed

1605
01:35:23,920 --> 01:35:28,519
Speaker 11: a disturbing pattern. You previously have made a series of

1606
01:35:28,600 --> 01:35:34,880
Speaker 11: inflammatory statements about women in comeback, LGBTQ service members, Muslim Americans,

1607
01:35:35,320 --> 01:35:41,559
Speaker 11: and Democrats. Since your nominations, however, you have walked those

1608
01:35:41,600 --> 01:35:44,559
Speaker 11: back on TV and interviews them, most recently in your

1609
01:35:44,600 --> 01:35:48,719
Speaker 11: opening statements. You are no longer on Fox and Friends.

1610
01:35:48,760 --> 01:35:54,040
Speaker 11: Mister Heckst. If confirmed, your words, actions, and decisions will

1611
01:35:54,080 --> 01:35:58,639
Speaker 11: have real impacts on national security and our service members' lives.

1612
01:35:58,720 --> 01:36:02,680
Speaker 11: There are to three million personnel in the Department of

1613
01:36:02,720 --> 01:36:09,120
Speaker 11: Defense nine hundred billion dollar budget. I hardly think you

1614
01:36:09,160 --> 01:36:10,800
Speaker 11: are prepared to do the job.

1615
01:36:11,720 --> 01:36:13,880
Speaker 2: Thank you, Senator, thank thank you.

1616
01:36:14,280 --> 01:36:18,840
Speaker 3: That wasn't a question, mister Hexton, Thank you, Sintra Rono,

1617
01:36:18,960 --> 01:36:20,040
Speaker 3: Sintor Sullivan.

1618
01:36:19,840 --> 01:36:22,160
Speaker 2: Thank you, Miss Chairman, and mister Hegseth.

1619
01:36:22,800 --> 01:36:26,479
Speaker 15: Congratulations on your nomination and thank you and your family

1620
01:36:26,560 --> 01:36:28,200
Speaker 15: for your service and sacrifice.

1621
01:36:28,439 --> 01:36:31,320
Speaker 2: Thank you, senator. Not for the most important question you

1622
01:36:31,360 --> 01:36:32,200
Speaker 2: will receive.

1623
01:36:32,040 --> 01:36:35,920
Speaker 12: From Alaska who's a marine And I'm not the father

1624
01:36:36,160 --> 01:36:41,200
Speaker 12: of and I'm not I'm not trying to downplay the

1625
01:36:41,240 --> 01:36:43,920
Speaker 12: importance of the Republican senators, but clearly they're supportive of

1626
01:36:44,000 --> 01:36:47,680
Speaker 12: Pete and it's i think most important to focus on

1627
01:36:47,760 --> 01:36:50,879
Speaker 12: Pete being fully attacked. You saw right there these attacks

1628
01:36:50,920 --> 01:36:54,240
Speaker 12: are relentless. Audience should take away too, they're not interested

1629
01:36:54,280 --> 01:36:59,040
Speaker 12: in Pete's answers. Pete Hexath has great answers, and they're

1630
01:36:59,040 --> 01:37:02,639
Speaker 12: not interested. They have an agenda. Here's the agenda. They

1631
01:37:02,640 --> 01:37:05,519
Speaker 12: know Pete Hexth is going to get confirmed. Here's why

1632
01:37:05,560 --> 01:37:08,400
Speaker 12: they know he's going to get confirmed. There has been nothing.

1633
01:37:08,439 --> 01:37:10,760
Speaker 12: I'm not so sure they got any witnesses on all

1634
01:37:10,800 --> 01:37:15,240
Speaker 12: this anonymous charges and smears on Pete. I'm not sure

1635
01:37:15,280 --> 01:37:17,960
Speaker 12: they were able to get from the day Pete was

1636
01:37:18,000 --> 01:37:19,880
Speaker 12: announced with all the support they had from the New

1637
01:37:19,960 --> 01:37:22,640
Speaker 12: York Times at MSNBC, and Pete just called out MSNBC

1638
01:37:22,800 --> 01:37:25,840
Speaker 12: right there. It's MSNBC that's been all over this day

1639
01:37:25,880 --> 01:37:29,559
Speaker 12: one making up the same types of lies that they

1640
01:37:29,600 --> 01:37:33,600
Speaker 12: are unsupported assertions that they did with President Trump and

1641
01:37:33,640 --> 01:37:36,839
Speaker 12: the whole uh and the whole uh. You know shifty

1642
01:37:36,920 --> 01:37:41,320
Speaker 12: shift comby the Mola investigation. Oliver, Remember go back over

1643
01:37:41,400 --> 01:37:43,200
Speaker 12: time the same type of thing they do with Pete

1644
01:37:43,200 --> 01:37:44,599
Speaker 12: hexth When it comes time to.

1645
01:37:44,640 --> 01:37:45,880
Speaker 5: Put up or shut up.

1646
01:37:46,439 --> 01:37:50,759
Speaker 12: They got nothing, but they understand in in political warfare

1647
01:37:50,800 --> 01:37:54,719
Speaker 12: and information warfare and sending the narratives that they can basically,

1648
01:37:55,040 --> 01:37:57,120
Speaker 12: you know, scuff somebody up or scar somebody up with

1649
01:37:57,120 --> 01:37:58,120
Speaker 12: these with these smears.

1650
01:37:58,160 --> 01:38:00,240
Speaker 5: I want to go back over this, over the questions.

1651
01:38:01,920 --> 01:38:05,080
Speaker 12: The first group of Democratic Senators have come at Pete

1652
01:38:05,120 --> 01:38:10,520
Speaker 12: hard on everything from his character to your womanizer, your abuser,

1653
01:38:11,120 --> 01:38:13,840
Speaker 12: uh sexual abuse. You don't know how to manage a

1654
01:38:13,960 --> 01:38:17,320
Speaker 12: uh uh any kind of large group. You waste money,

1655
01:38:17,360 --> 01:38:20,599
Speaker 12: you drink on the job, you support war criminals, you've

1656
01:38:20,640 --> 01:38:24,160
Speaker 12: been disruptive in your command everything you get attack Pete Hexathont.

1657
01:38:24,240 --> 01:38:25,800
Speaker 5: They've gone at it. And that's why I wanted you

1658
01:38:25,840 --> 01:38:26,320
Speaker 5: to see it.

1659
01:38:26,680 --> 01:38:28,960
Speaker 12: It's best not to even someone like me you talk

1660
01:38:29,000 --> 01:38:31,439
Speaker 12: about it, to see it yourself. What have your own

1661
01:38:31,479 --> 01:38:34,639
Speaker 12: lion I shown shown you how they've come after him

1662
01:38:34,680 --> 01:38:36,920
Speaker 12: relentlessly on all kinds of made up stuff. And Pete

1663
01:38:36,960 --> 01:38:40,280
Speaker 12: Haggs are very cool and calm sits there with the

1664
01:38:40,320 --> 01:38:47,120
Speaker 12: with the with the Uh personifying the warrior ethos.

1665
01:38:47,880 --> 01:38:51,640
Speaker 5: This is what I thought was very good about, was it.

1666
01:38:51,720 --> 01:38:55,639
Speaker 12: Colonel Mike Waltz's the Green Berets gonna be National Security Advisor. Look,

1667
01:38:55,640 --> 01:38:58,640
Speaker 12: I've we've got differences with with with Mike Waltz. I

1668
01:38:58,680 --> 01:39:01,639
Speaker 12: did it on the show yesterday, kind of a gentle

1669
01:39:01,760 --> 01:39:04,960
Speaker 12: nudge to say, hey, bro, maybe we shouldn't take ownership

1670
01:39:04,960 --> 01:39:08,400
Speaker 12: of the Ukraine War. But tinker where Walls is coming from,

1671
01:39:08,760 --> 01:39:11,240
Speaker 12: and particularly in the House when you look at Wicker,

1672
01:39:11,600 --> 01:39:16,479
Speaker 12: who's the senior wickers from a Republican from Mississippi, and

1673
01:39:16,560 --> 01:39:21,280
Speaker 12: Wicker is Wicker is uh the chairman of the Armed

1674
01:39:21,280 --> 01:39:24,320
Speaker 12: Service Command the Senate, which is a massively powerful job.

1675
01:39:24,840 --> 01:39:28,280
Speaker 12: He's got the Ukraine flag right on his lapel. I mean,

1676
01:39:28,280 --> 01:39:31,439
Speaker 12: this is what you're up against. Waltz today put in

1677
01:39:31,439 --> 01:39:34,559
Speaker 12: his opening statement the warrior ethos, the warrior ethos, the

1678
01:39:34,600 --> 01:39:36,640
Speaker 12: warrior ethos. And I hope we get that trending on

1679
01:39:36,680 --> 01:39:38,920
Speaker 12: social media because that's what this is about.

1680
01:39:38,960 --> 01:39:43,519
Speaker 5: You see Pete Hexeth kind of the warrior ethos right.

1681
01:39:43,320 --> 01:39:45,880
Speaker 12: There that you see him and uh, and he's being

1682
01:39:46,000 --> 01:39:49,920
Speaker 12: relentlessly attacked. Is that look like a group of warriors

1683
01:39:49,920 --> 01:39:54,240
Speaker 12: and recommendation to the to the Democratic Party. If you're

1684
01:39:54,240 --> 01:39:56,439
Speaker 12: going to go after Pete Hexas, I realized Jack Read,

1685
01:39:56,479 --> 01:40:00,439
Speaker 12: I think is a long serving army officer and little brand.

1686
01:40:00,479 --> 01:40:02,360
Speaker 5: These people have their own their own angle of attack

1687
01:40:02,360 --> 01:40:02,920
Speaker 5: and on style.

1688
01:40:03,920 --> 01:40:06,080
Speaker 12: But when you put a Bloomenthal, I don't care how

1689
01:40:06,160 --> 01:40:09,720
Speaker 12: senior he is. You put a Blumenthal who's a stolen's

1690
01:40:09,760 --> 01:40:13,160
Speaker 12: who's guilty of stolen valor when you put him up

1691
01:40:13,479 --> 01:40:15,880
Speaker 12: to basically one of the first questions, you lose all

1692
01:40:15,920 --> 01:40:18,320
Speaker 12: credibility right then and there.

1693
01:40:18,360 --> 01:40:20,120
Speaker 5: Your attacks on Hexas mean nothing.

1694
01:40:20,880 --> 01:40:23,800
Speaker 12: People in the military, people close to this understand that

1695
01:40:23,840 --> 01:40:27,160
Speaker 12: guy like Bluementhal is negative credibility and so in his

1696
01:40:27,240 --> 01:40:28,920
Speaker 12: attacks on Pete Hexath.

1697
01:40:29,400 --> 01:40:31,680
Speaker 5: And I want to go back and you and this

1698
01:40:31,840 --> 01:40:33,160
Speaker 5: is why, and I want to thank Real.

1699
01:40:33,040 --> 01:40:35,479
Speaker 12: America's voiceliness blow the brakes, because I thought it was

1700
01:40:35,560 --> 01:40:38,080
Speaker 12: very important today during our show to set the kind

1701
01:40:38,120 --> 01:40:41,480
Speaker 12: of template that you could see it without commercial interruption.

1702
01:40:42,000 --> 01:40:44,240
Speaker 12: You could see the attacks one or the other on

1703
01:40:44,280 --> 01:40:46,800
Speaker 12: the Democratic side of Pete Hexath where they weren't and

1704
01:40:46,840 --> 01:40:49,160
Speaker 12: they're very coordinated or what they went through right from

1705
01:40:49,160 --> 01:40:52,840
Speaker 12: all the sexual issues and the issues about women to

1706
01:40:52,880 --> 01:40:55,920
Speaker 12: the issues about drinking, the issues about these organizations, about

1707
01:40:55,920 --> 01:40:59,640
Speaker 12: the money, the issues about him having the back of

1708
01:40:59,760 --> 01:41:01,840
Speaker 12: void in the field, and they say they're back to

1709
01:41:01,840 --> 01:41:04,479
Speaker 12: more criminals and everything with his commands and all of

1710
01:41:04,479 --> 01:41:08,360
Speaker 12: his writings and books, particularly women in Combat, on all

1711
01:41:08,400 --> 01:41:10,880
Speaker 12: of those kind of eight to ten issues, they're relentless,

1712
01:41:10,880 --> 01:41:14,120
Speaker 12: bank bank bank, They've got highly coordinated questions and they're

1713
01:41:14,120 --> 01:41:17,400
Speaker 12: not interested in an answer. They're interested in a SoundBite

1714
01:41:17,400 --> 01:41:20,080
Speaker 12: that they can put up. On MSNBC tonight, watch the

1715
01:41:20,160 --> 01:41:21,880
Speaker 12: Rachel Matters, trow Well. She won't be all night, but

1716
01:41:21,920 --> 01:41:26,679
Speaker 12: watch MSNBC tonight, particularly Joyanne Reed, Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner.

1717
01:41:26,960 --> 01:41:29,320
Speaker 12: They'll be all The opening thing will be heat Hexath

1718
01:41:29,360 --> 01:41:31,720
Speaker 12: and I'll have a whole montage at the beginning of

1719
01:41:31,880 --> 01:41:36,160
Speaker 12: clips from the Democratic Centers asking cheap shot questions and

1720
01:41:36,200 --> 01:41:38,840
Speaker 12: not respond and not no real response from Pete Hexas

1721
01:41:38,840 --> 01:41:41,639
Speaker 12: to go boom boom boom, boom boom, because they're trying

1722
01:41:41,680 --> 01:41:44,920
Speaker 12: to build a narrative that Pete hexas the irresponsible, Pete

1723
01:41:44,920 --> 01:41:47,439
Speaker 12: hex is a bad guy, Pete Hexath has no character,

1724
01:41:47,560 --> 01:41:50,320
Speaker 12: Pete Heexa's is over his head. President Trump is putting

1725
01:41:50,400 --> 01:41:53,479
Speaker 12: up unqualified people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

1726
01:41:54,680 --> 01:41:57,680
Speaker 12: President Trump won a sweeping victory. He gets to have

1727
01:41:58,080 --> 01:42:01,240
Speaker 12: the team he wants. I also hope that everybody's taking

1728
01:42:01,240 --> 01:42:03,000
Speaker 12: a heart that we should have never backed off of

1729
01:42:03,040 --> 01:42:06,439
Speaker 12: Matt Gates, Pete Hexath, who's not guilty of any of

1730
01:42:06,439 --> 01:42:06,840
Speaker 12: this stuff.

1731
01:42:06,840 --> 01:42:08,240
Speaker 5: Pete Heggsa is going to power through.

1732
01:42:08,360 --> 01:42:11,599
Speaker 12: And if they're smart and if Wicker stands his ground,

1733
01:42:11,920 --> 01:42:13,679
Speaker 12: we stayed at nine or ten o'clock tonight.

1734
01:42:14,080 --> 01:42:15,560
Speaker 5: Pete's a tough guy. He can take it.

1735
01:42:15,640 --> 01:42:17,719
Speaker 12: We take all the questions again, want to ask everything

1736
01:42:17,760 --> 01:42:19,839
Speaker 12: they want to ask. But it's going to end today.

1737
01:42:20,200 --> 01:42:22,040
Speaker 12: No coming back over the next couple of days where

1738
01:42:22,040 --> 01:42:24,400
Speaker 12: they can run around and cause all the all the

1739
01:42:24,439 --> 01:42:27,320
Speaker 12: all the all the nasty dirty work they want to do.

1740
01:42:27,400 --> 01:42:29,479
Speaker 12: Today ends it and then put it to a committee vote.

1741
01:42:29,520 --> 01:42:31,400
Speaker 12: Give him forty eight hours. Put it to the committee

1742
01:42:31,439 --> 01:42:34,400
Speaker 12: V one on Thursday, Let the let the whole Senate

1743
01:42:34,479 --> 01:42:36,600
Speaker 12: vote on it, and let Pete Heggs as Secretary of

1744
01:42:36,600 --> 01:42:40,000
Speaker 12: Defense be as soon as President Trump is h is

1745
01:42:40,080 --> 01:42:42,639
Speaker 12: off taking the oath of office. First person he swears

1746
01:42:42,680 --> 01:42:45,240
Speaker 12: in is Pete Hexath. This is where it should go.

1747
01:42:45,280 --> 01:42:46,840
Speaker 12: And they should dig in hard on this. There should

1748
01:42:46,880 --> 01:42:51,320
Speaker 12: be no no, no opportunity whatsoever to uh to slow

1749
01:42:51,360 --> 01:42:53,360
Speaker 12: this thing down. Once again, I want to thank Real

1750
01:42:53,400 --> 01:42:55,439
Speaker 12: Murker's voice. It is very important, I think, particularly the

1751
01:42:55,479 --> 01:42:59,799
Speaker 12: first two hours here today, to you here without commercial interruption,

1752
01:43:00,040 --> 01:43:03,599
Speaker 12: exactly how they're attacking him on these questions. Pete Hexath,

1753
01:43:03,680 --> 01:43:06,280
Speaker 12: I think has been magnificent in these first couple hours.

1754
01:43:06,320 --> 01:43:09,439
Speaker 12: Moe is actually one of the people that are asked

1755
01:43:09,680 --> 01:43:13,920
Speaker 12: to come and sit and support Pete Hexas Mosa, as

1756
01:43:13,920 --> 01:43:16,120
Speaker 12: you know, served in Iraq with the hundred first after

1757
01:43:16,120 --> 01:43:18,720
Speaker 12: West Point. She's a huge supporter of Pete Hexath, and

1758
01:43:19,160 --> 01:43:21,080
Speaker 12: that's why she's there that I think she's actually been

1759
01:43:21,439 --> 01:43:24,920
Speaker 12: been tweeting as soon as Sullivan is asking some quite

1760
01:43:24,920 --> 01:43:27,320
Speaker 12: by the way, the Republicans are asking great, great questions,

1761
01:43:27,680 --> 01:43:31,200
Speaker 12: but I think it's I need to contextualize what's going

1762
01:43:31,240 --> 01:43:33,720
Speaker 12: on with the Democrats. This is the Democrats, and here's

1763
01:43:33,720 --> 01:43:35,080
Speaker 12: what they're trying to do. They're trying to send a

1764
01:43:35,160 --> 01:43:37,360
Speaker 12: signal to President Trump, this is how we're going to

1765
01:43:37,400 --> 01:43:38,080
Speaker 12: handle you and everybody.

1766
01:43:38,160 --> 01:43:40,680
Speaker 5: Let's go back to the hearing right now.

1767
01:43:40,880 --> 01:43:43,120
Speaker 18: Time you were still married to your second wife, correct,

1768
01:43:46,080 --> 01:43:49,000
Speaker 18: I believe so. And you had just fathered a child

1769
01:43:49,160 --> 01:43:51,519
Speaker 18: by a woman who would later become your third wife.

1770
01:43:51,520 --> 01:43:52,920
Speaker 2: Correct, Senator.

1771
01:43:53,080 --> 01:43:57,839
Speaker 4: I was falsely charged, fully investigated, and completely cleared.

1772
01:43:58,439 --> 01:44:01,320
Speaker 18: So you think you are completely cleared because you committed

1773
01:44:01,400 --> 01:44:04,240
Speaker 18: no crime, that's your definition of cleared. You had just

1774
01:44:04,400 --> 01:44:07,080
Speaker 18: fathered a child two months before by a woman that

1775
01:44:07,160 --> 01:44:10,800
Speaker 18: was not your wife. I am shocked that you would

1776
01:44:10,800 --> 01:44:13,599
Speaker 18: stand here and say you are completely cleared. Can you

1777
01:44:13,680 --> 01:44:17,880
Speaker 18: so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on

1778
01:44:18,000 --> 01:44:19,840
Speaker 18: the mother of a child who had been born two

1779
01:44:19,880 --> 01:44:22,599
Speaker 18: months before, and you tell us you are completely cleared?

1780
01:44:23,000 --> 01:44:26,280
Speaker 18: How was that a complete clear Senator? Her child's name

1781
01:44:26,320 --> 01:44:27,559
Speaker 18: is Gwendolen Hope hag.

1782
01:44:27,439 --> 01:44:29,800
Speaker 2: Seth, and she's a child of God and she's seven

1783
01:44:29,880 --> 01:44:30,280
Speaker 2: years old.

1784
01:44:30,600 --> 01:44:34,320
Speaker 18: And you cheated on the mother of that child less

1785
01:44:34,360 --> 01:44:36,600
Speaker 18: than two months after that daughter was born, didn't you?

1786
01:44:37,960 --> 01:44:39,080
Speaker 2: Those were false charges?

1787
01:44:39,360 --> 01:44:42,000
Speaker 4: Well, No, fully investigated, and I was completely cleared. And

1788
01:44:42,040 --> 01:44:44,800
Speaker 4: I am so youtiful you've the marriage I have to this.

1789
01:44:45,040 --> 01:44:50,040
Speaker 18: No, you've admitted that you had sex at that hotel

1790
01:44:50,080 --> 01:44:53,040
Speaker 18: on October twenty seventeen. You said it was consensual. Isn't

1791
01:44:53,040 --> 01:44:54,280
Speaker 18: that correct?

1792
01:44:54,760 --> 01:44:55,200
Speaker 2: Anything?

1793
01:44:56,720 --> 01:44:59,200
Speaker 18: You've admitted that it was consensual and you were still

1794
01:44:59,240 --> 01:45:01,160
Speaker 18: married and you just I had a child by another woman.

1795
01:45:01,479 --> 01:45:04,760
Speaker 4: Again, how do you explain your ugly false charges against me?

1796
01:45:05,040 --> 01:45:07,599
Speaker 4: You investigated and I was completely clear.

1797
01:45:07,680 --> 01:45:10,479
Speaker 18: You have admitted that you had sex while you were

1798
01:45:10,479 --> 01:45:12,600
Speaker 18: married to wife two, after you just had fathered a

1799
01:45:12,680 --> 01:45:13,759
Speaker 18: child by wife three.

1800
01:45:14,360 --> 01:45:16,760
Speaker 4: You've admitted that. Now, if it had been.

1801
01:45:16,680 --> 01:45:19,880
Speaker 18: A sexual assault, that would be disqualifying to be Secretary Defense,

1802
01:45:19,880 --> 01:45:20,360
Speaker 18: wouldn't it?

1803
01:45:21,680 --> 01:45:23,599
Speaker 4: It was a false claim? Then in a false claim.

1804
01:45:23,600 --> 01:45:27,200
Speaker 18: Now, if it had been a sexual assault, that would

1805
01:45:27,240 --> 01:45:31,280
Speaker 18: be disqualifying to be a Secretary of Defense, wouldn't it?

1806
01:45:31,360 --> 01:45:34,440
Speaker 4: That was a false claim. So you're talking about a hypothetical.

1807
01:45:34,560 --> 01:45:38,439
Speaker 18: So you can't tell me whether someone who has committed

1808
01:45:38,520 --> 01:45:41,879
Speaker 18: a sexual assault is disqualified from being a Secretary of Defense.

1809
01:45:42,439 --> 01:45:45,240
Speaker 4: Senator, I know in my instance, and I'm talking about

1810
01:45:45,280 --> 01:45:48,240
Speaker 4: my instance only, it was a false claim. But you

1811
01:45:48,280 --> 01:45:48,880
Speaker 4: acknowledge it.

1812
01:45:49,200 --> 01:45:52,360
Speaker 18: But you acknowledge that you cheated on your wife, and

1813
01:45:52,439 --> 01:45:54,960
Speaker 18: that you cheated on the woman who by whom you

1814
01:45:55,000 --> 01:45:56,040
Speaker 18: had just fathered a child.

1815
01:45:56,160 --> 01:45:57,000
Speaker 4: You have admitted that.

1816
01:45:58,360 --> 01:45:59,920
Speaker 2: I will allow your words to speak for them.

1817
01:46:00,040 --> 01:46:01,280
Speaker 18: You're not retracting that today.

1818
01:46:01,280 --> 01:46:01,679
Speaker 5: That's good.

1819
01:46:01,720 --> 01:46:04,120
Speaker 18: I assume that in each of your weddings, you've pledged

1820
01:46:04,160 --> 01:46:05,479
Speaker 18: to be faithful to your wife.

1821
01:46:05,760 --> 01:46:07,600
Speaker 2: You've taken an oath to do that, haven't.

1822
01:46:07,320 --> 01:46:11,360
Speaker 4: You, Senator, As I've acknowledged to everyone in this committee,

1823
01:46:11,760 --> 01:46:13,640
Speaker 4: not a perfect person, not claiming to. But now I

1824
01:46:13,720 --> 01:46:14,800
Speaker 4: just asked the simple question.

1825
01:46:14,840 --> 01:46:17,000
Speaker 18: You've taken an oath like you would take an oath

1826
01:46:17,000 --> 01:46:18,800
Speaker 18: to be secretgary defense and all of your weddings, to

1827
01:46:18,800 --> 01:46:20,360
Speaker 18: be faithful to your wife. Is that correct?

1828
01:46:21,720 --> 01:46:24,200
Speaker 4: I have failed in things in my life, and thankfully

1829
01:46:24,240 --> 01:46:26,360
Speaker 4: I'm redeemed by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1830
01:46:26,400 --> 01:46:29,360
Speaker 18: And finalizing divorces from your first and second wives, were

1831
01:46:29,360 --> 01:46:33,960
Speaker 18: there non disclosure agreements in connection with those divorces, Senator,

1832
01:46:34,240 --> 01:46:36,559
Speaker 18: Not that I'm aware of. If there were, would you

1833
01:46:36,600 --> 01:46:39,840
Speaker 18: agree to release those first and second wives from any

1834
01:46:39,840 --> 01:46:41,080
Speaker 18: confidentiality agreement?

1835
01:46:41,160 --> 01:46:43,320
Speaker 2: Senator? It's not something I'm aware.

1836
01:46:43,040 --> 01:46:45,680
Speaker 4: Of, but if there were, you would agree to release.

1837
01:46:45,400 --> 01:46:48,920
Speaker 18: Them from a confidentiality Senator, That's not my responsibility. Did

1838
01:46:49,000 --> 01:46:51,360
Speaker 18: you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against

1839
01:46:51,400 --> 01:46:52,200
Speaker 18: any of your wives?

1840
01:46:52,880 --> 01:46:55,160
Speaker 2: Senator? Absolutely not, But you.

1841
01:46:55,160 --> 01:46:57,719
Speaker 18: Would agree with me that if someone had committed physical

1842
01:46:57,760 --> 01:47:01,000
Speaker 18: violence against the spouse, that would be disqualified to serve

1843
01:47:01,040 --> 01:47:02,400
Speaker 18: as Secretary of Defense.

1844
01:47:02,080 --> 01:47:05,640
Speaker 4: Correct, Senator, absolutely not have I ever done that.

1845
01:47:05,920 --> 01:47:08,759
Speaker 18: You would agree that that would be a disqualifying offense,

1846
01:47:09,000 --> 01:47:13,600
Speaker 18: would you not? Senator, you're talking about a hypothetical. I

1847
01:47:13,640 --> 01:47:18,439
Speaker 18: don't think it's a hypothetical. Violence against spouses occurs every day.

1848
01:47:18,840 --> 01:47:21,240
Speaker 18: And if you, as a leader, are not capable of

1849
01:47:21,280 --> 01:47:24,920
Speaker 18: saying that physical violence against a spouse should be a

1850
01:47:24,920 --> 01:47:30,519
Speaker 18: disqualifying fact for being secretary of the most powerful nation

1851
01:47:30,600 --> 01:47:33,680
Speaker 18: in the world, you're demonstrating an astonishing lack of judgment.

1852
01:47:35,040 --> 01:47:38,400
Speaker 18: The incident Monterey led to a criminal charge, a criminal investigation,

1853
01:47:38,479 --> 01:47:41,160
Speaker 18: a private settlement, and a cash payment to the woman

1854
01:47:41,160 --> 01:47:43,840
Speaker 18: who filed the complaint, and there was also a non

1855
01:47:43,880 --> 01:47:44,799
Speaker 18: disclosure agreement.

1856
01:47:44,840 --> 01:47:45,200
Speaker 5: Correct.

1857
01:47:46,680 --> 01:47:51,320
Speaker 4: It was a confidential settlement agreement off of a nuisance lawsuit.

1858
01:47:52,320 --> 01:47:54,639
Speaker 18: During an interview, you claimed that you settled the matter

1859
01:47:54,640 --> 01:47:57,120
Speaker 18: because you were worried that if it became public it

1860
01:47:57,200 --> 01:47:58,080
Speaker 18: might hurt your career.

1861
01:47:58,120 --> 01:48:01,519
Speaker 2: Do you maintain that you were blackmailed? Senator?

1862
01:48:01,720 --> 01:48:05,200
Speaker 4: I maintained that false claims were made against me, and

1863
01:48:05,320 --> 01:48:08,559
Speaker 4: ultimately your attorney's false frame. You had the opportunity to

1864
01:48:08,560 --> 01:48:11,800
Speaker 4: attest my innocence in those false claims, but.

1865
01:48:11,800 --> 01:48:14,320
Speaker 2: You didn't reveal any of this to President Trump.

1866
01:48:14,320 --> 01:48:17,680
Speaker 18: Are the transition team as they were considering you to

1867
01:48:17,720 --> 01:48:21,679
Speaker 18: be nominated for Secretary of Defense. You didn't reveal the action,

1868
01:48:22,000 --> 01:48:24,720
Speaker 18: You didn't reveal the criminal complaint. You didn't reveal the

1869
01:48:24,760 --> 01:48:28,960
Speaker 18: criminal investigation. You didn't reveal the settlement, You didn't reveal

1870
01:48:29,000 --> 01:48:32,840
Speaker 18: the cash payment. Why didn't you inform the Commander in

1871
01:48:32,920 --> 01:48:37,120
Speaker 18: chief and the transition team of this very relevant event?

1872
01:48:37,760 --> 01:48:40,680
Speaker 4: Senator, I've appreciated every part of the process with the

1873
01:48:40,720 --> 01:48:41,519
Speaker 4: transition team.

1874
01:48:41,560 --> 01:48:43,400
Speaker 2: They have been open and honest with me.

1875
01:48:43,439 --> 01:48:46,240
Speaker 4: We've had great conversations between the two of us, and

1876
01:48:46,640 --> 01:48:48,880
Speaker 4: I appreciate the opportunity that President elected.

1877
01:48:48,960 --> 01:48:52,320
Speaker 18: But you chose not to reveal this right because you

1878
01:48:52,360 --> 01:48:55,360
Speaker 18: knew what would hurt your chances. So you chose not

1879
01:48:55,439 --> 01:48:58,760
Speaker 18: to reveal this really important thing to the Commander in

1880
01:48:58,840 --> 01:49:01,280
Speaker 18: chief and the transition team because you were worried about

1881
01:49:01,320 --> 01:49:04,479
Speaker 18: your chances, rather than trying to be candid with the

1882
01:49:04,479 --> 01:49:05,520
Speaker 18: future president.

1883
01:49:05,240 --> 01:49:06,080
Speaker 6: Of the United States.

1884
01:49:07,640 --> 01:49:10,080
Speaker 18: Are there any other important facts that you chose not

1885
01:49:10,200 --> 01:49:12,479
Speaker 18: to reveal to the President elect and his team as

1886
01:49:12,479 --> 01:49:14,519
Speaker 18: they were considering you to be Secretary of Defense.

1887
01:49:15,320 --> 01:49:18,559
Speaker 4: Senator, I sit here before you in open book, as

1888
01:49:18,600 --> 01:49:23,160
Speaker 4: everyone who's watched this process, with multiple non disclosure.

1889
01:49:22,640 --> 01:49:25,360
Speaker 18: And confidentiality agreements tying the hands of many people who

1890
01:49:25,360 --> 01:49:29,679
Speaker 18: would like to comment to us, much has been made

1891
01:49:30,160 --> 01:49:33,439
Speaker 18: of your workplace behavior as a leader of nonprofit veterans

1892
01:49:33,520 --> 01:49:37,439
Speaker 18: organizations and as a Fox News contributor. Were you fired

1893
01:49:37,479 --> 01:49:40,000
Speaker 18: from either of the leadership positions with the nonprofits?

1894
01:49:40,840 --> 01:49:44,000
Speaker 4: I was the leader of the CEO of which America

1895
01:49:44,200 --> 01:49:46,400
Speaker 4: those two director where you fired and where you fired

1896
01:49:46,400 --> 01:49:46,600
Speaker 4: from me?

1897
01:49:46,640 --> 01:49:48,960
Speaker 2: And I was never fired from a Do you you

1898
01:49:49,000 --> 01:49:49,439
Speaker 2: have non.

1899
01:49:49,280 --> 01:49:51,880
Speaker 18: Disclosure agreements with either of those organizations?

1900
01:49:52,160 --> 01:49:53,479
Speaker 2: Not that I'm aware of, Senator.

1901
01:49:54,560 --> 01:49:56,840
Speaker 18: Many of your work colleagues have said that you show

1902
01:49:56,920 --> 01:49:59,479
Speaker 18: up for work under the influence of alcohol or drunk.

1903
01:50:00,160 --> 01:50:01,840
Speaker 18: You've denied that, but you would agree with me right

1904
01:50:01,880 --> 01:50:04,080
Speaker 18: that if that was the case, that would be disqualifying

1905
01:50:04,080 --> 01:50:06,000
Speaker 18: for somebody to be Secretary of Defense.

1906
01:50:05,760 --> 01:50:09,800
Speaker 4: Senator, those are all anonymous false claims, and the totality

1907
01:50:09,680 --> 01:50:12,360
Speaker 4: they're not an honorous letters on the record. They're not

1908
01:50:12,400 --> 01:50:15,599
Speaker 4: an honor on the record. We've seen records with names

1909
01:50:15,640 --> 01:50:19,040
Speaker 4: attached Freedom Concerned, Bets for America, and Fox News of it.

1910
01:50:19,240 --> 01:50:21,439
Speaker 2: To me, one of your colleagues work hard every day.

1911
01:50:21,640 --> 01:50:22,439
Speaker 2: One on behalf.

1912
01:50:22,840 --> 01:50:23,479
Speaker 4: One of your.

1913
01:50:23,360 --> 01:50:26,400
Speaker 18: Colleagues said that you got drunken event at a bar

1914
01:50:26,600 --> 01:50:30,559
Speaker 18: enchanted kill all Muslims. Another colleague, not anonymous we have this,

1915
01:50:31,040 --> 01:50:34,400
Speaker 18: said that you took coworkers to a strip club. You

1916
01:50:34,439 --> 01:50:36,840
Speaker 18: were drunk, you tried to dance with strippers, you had

1917
01:50:36,880 --> 01:50:38,880
Speaker 18: to be held off the stage, and one of your

1918
01:50:38,960 --> 01:50:44,760
Speaker 18: employees in that event filed a sexual harassment charge as

1919
01:50:44,800 --> 01:50:47,679
Speaker 18: a result of it. Now, I know you deny these things,

1920
01:50:47,680 --> 01:50:50,479
Speaker 18: but it isn't that the kind of behavior that, if true,

1921
01:50:50,800 --> 01:50:54,000
Speaker 18: would be disqualifying for somebody to be Secretary of Defense.

1922
01:50:55,680 --> 01:50:57,839
Speaker 4: Senator anonymous false charges, They're.

1923
01:50:57,640 --> 01:51:00,840
Speaker 18: Not anonymous, And I'll just conclude and say that to

1924
01:51:00,920 --> 01:51:04,360
Speaker 18: the chairman. You claim that this was all anonymous, We

1925
01:51:04,439 --> 01:51:08,080
Speaker 18: have seen records with names attached to all of these,

1926
01:51:08,080 --> 01:51:11,519
Speaker 18: including the name of your own mother. So don't make

1927
01:51:11,560 --> 01:51:14,839
Speaker 18: this into some anonymous press thing. We have seen multiple

1928
01:51:14,960 --> 01:51:18,800
Speaker 18: names of colleagues consistently throughout your career that have talked

1929
01:51:18,840 --> 01:51:20,559
Speaker 18: about your abusive actions.

1930
01:51:20,840 --> 01:51:28,360
Speaker 3: I thank you, and thank you very much. I now

1931
01:51:28,520 --> 01:51:33,080
Speaker 3: ask you, nan'mous, consent to enter into the record a

1932
01:51:33,280 --> 01:51:39,599
Speaker 3: family court order concerning the appointment of parenting time.

1933
01:51:41,320 --> 01:51:45,880
Speaker 12: Okay, we're gonna Okay, I want folks to understand the

1934
01:51:45,920 --> 01:51:46,920
Speaker 12: reason I'm showing this.

1935
01:51:47,040 --> 01:51:49,479
Speaker 5: And there's some anxiety in the chat room. It should be.

1936
01:51:51,760 --> 01:51:54,160
Speaker 12: By the way you get the repeat out of my ear.

1937
01:51:57,200 --> 01:52:01,080
Speaker 12: The you see the intensity of Tim Kane. Now, remember

1938
01:52:01,080 --> 01:52:03,400
Speaker 12: what Tim Kaine's trying to do. And this is why

1939
01:52:03,400 --> 01:52:07,599
Speaker 12: it's murder board in advance. Okay, it's murder board in advance.

1940
01:52:07,680 --> 01:52:09,519
Speaker 12: They say, if you go through over and over again,

1941
01:52:09,560 --> 01:52:13,320
Speaker 12: the type of Tim Tim Kain's asking these questions. And

1942
01:52:13,360 --> 01:52:15,639
Speaker 12: I think Tim was the Senator, Kane was a former

1943
01:52:15,680 --> 01:52:16,400
Speaker 12: attorney general.

1944
01:52:16,439 --> 01:52:19,479
Speaker 5: I think of Virginia. Uh. And he's coming at him Hart.

1945
01:52:20,240 --> 01:52:22,679
Speaker 12: He's trying to set up if Pete was to answer yes, anyone,

1946
01:52:22,720 --> 01:52:25,080
Speaker 12: they're going to try to roll out some made up

1947
01:52:25,760 --> 01:52:27,840
Speaker 12: witness to come in later and say, oh, this is

1948
01:52:27,840 --> 01:52:30,640
Speaker 12: why they want multiple days. This is why it's so

1949
01:52:30,760 --> 01:52:34,840
Speaker 12: important for Wicker in the war room. Posse right now

1950
01:52:34,920 --> 01:52:37,280
Speaker 12: two zero two two two four three one two one

1951
01:52:37,320 --> 01:52:39,519
Speaker 12: should be working the phones of the United States Senate,

1952
01:52:39,800 --> 01:52:43,320
Speaker 12: particularly these Republicans. Let the staffs know you need to

1953
01:52:43,360 --> 01:52:47,080
Speaker 12: hang tough on Pete Texas because he's being crucified unfairly

1954
01:52:48,080 --> 01:52:48,720
Speaker 12: by a bunk.

1955
01:52:48,760 --> 01:52:50,880
Speaker 5: He's being smeared for two hours.

1956
01:52:50,920 --> 01:52:53,960
Speaker 12: We've sat here, We've shown every Democrat that has come

1957
01:52:54,000 --> 01:52:57,640
Speaker 12: at him, and there's seven minute slugs. Each one's been

1958
01:52:57,640 --> 01:53:00,599
Speaker 12: in full attack mode. This is not trying to find out.

1959
01:53:00,720 --> 01:53:04,599
Speaker 12: They've not asked really any deep policy questions about anything

1960
01:53:04,640 --> 01:53:07,720
Speaker 12: about really being Secretary of Defense. That's all been to the Republicans.

1961
01:53:08,800 --> 01:53:12,600
Speaker 12: We've shown all the attacks of the Democrats. And here's why.

1962
01:53:12,920 --> 01:53:15,080
Speaker 5: This is what they intend to do to President Trump.

1963
01:53:15,160 --> 01:53:16,000
Speaker 5: Don't believe this thing.

1964
01:53:16,040 --> 01:53:18,040
Speaker 12: They're looking to work together of how we can make

1965
01:53:18,080 --> 01:53:21,920
Speaker 12: this work, of how everything can can can can go.

1966
01:53:22,080 --> 01:53:24,439
Speaker 12: Let's tell let's cut back to the Republican real quickly,

1967
01:53:24,479 --> 01:53:26,559
Speaker 12: and then we're coming from from wrapping up comments.

1968
01:53:26,600 --> 01:53:28,160
Speaker 5: Let's go back to the hearing itself.

1969
01:53:28,280 --> 01:53:30,960
Speaker 7: Just I want to catch this tattoo, a Christian tattoo.

1970
01:53:31,120 --> 01:53:33,720
Speaker 20: Can you elaborate just a little bit on what is

1971
01:53:33,760 --> 01:53:38,360
Speaker 20: this very offensive, extremist, racist tattoo that you have.

1972
01:53:40,040 --> 01:53:42,720
Speaker 4: It's a tattoo I have right here, Senator. It's called

1973
01:53:42,760 --> 01:53:48,480
Speaker 4: the Jerusalem Cross. It's a historic Christian symbol. In fact, interestingly,

1974
01:53:49,560 --> 01:53:54,479
Speaker 4: recently I attended briefly the memorial ceremony former President Jimmy

1975
01:53:54,520 --> 01:53:58,640
Speaker 4: Carter on the floor of our National Cathedral. On the

1976
01:53:58,680 --> 01:54:02,639
Speaker 4: front page of his program was the very same Jerusalem Cross.

1977
01:54:03,479 --> 01:54:08,200
Speaker 4: It is a Christian religious symbol. And when the events

1978
01:54:08,200 --> 01:54:13,720
Speaker 4: happened before preceding the Biden inauguration, I was a part

1979
01:54:13,720 --> 01:54:16,599
Speaker 4: of the mobilization to defend that inauguration, as someone who'd

1980
01:54:16,640 --> 01:54:19,120
Speaker 4: been a proud supporter of Donald Trump but also a

1981
01:54:19,120 --> 01:54:22,920
Speaker 4: member of the military, had orders to come to Washington,

1982
01:54:22,960 --> 01:54:25,800
Speaker 4: d C. To guard that inauguration, and at the last

1983
01:54:25,800 --> 01:54:27,439
Speaker 4: minute those orders were revoked.

1984
01:54:27,680 --> 01:54:29,000
Speaker 2: I've never had orders revoked before.

1985
01:54:29,000 --> 01:54:30,519
Speaker 4: I'd been on orders to a lot of places to

1986
01:54:30,560 --> 01:54:33,160
Speaker 4: do a lot of difficult and dangerous things. They were revoked,

1987
01:54:33,160 --> 01:54:35,760
Speaker 4: and I was not told why. Later, when I wrote

1988
01:54:35,800 --> 01:54:38,120
Speaker 4: my book, I was able to get information. It was

1989
01:54:38,160 --> 01:54:43,360
Speaker 4: because I had been identified someone who'd served in Iraq,

1990
01:54:43,720 --> 01:54:47,560
Speaker 4: in Afghanistan, in Guantanamo Bay holding a riot shield outside

1991
01:54:47,600 --> 01:54:53,240
Speaker 4: the White House. I'd been identified as an extremist, someone

1992
01:54:53,360 --> 01:54:58,400
Speaker 4: unworthy of guarding the inauguration of an incoming American president.

1993
01:54:58,520 --> 01:55:01,920
Speaker 4: And if that's happening to me, Senator, how many other

1994
01:55:02,600 --> 01:55:05,600
Speaker 4: men and women, how many other patriots, how many other

1995
01:55:05,720 --> 01:55:09,200
Speaker 4: people of conscience? We haven't even talked about COVID and

1996
01:55:09,240 --> 01:55:12,400
Speaker 4: the tens of thousands of service members who are kicked

1997
01:55:12,400 --> 01:55:16,839
Speaker 4: out because of an experimental vaccine. In President Trump's Defense Department,

1998
01:55:17,040 --> 01:55:20,600
Speaker 4: they will be apologized to. They will be reinstituted with

1999
01:55:20,720 --> 01:55:25,840
Speaker 4: pay and rank. Things like focusing on extremism, Senator, have

2000
01:55:25,960 --> 01:55:29,400
Speaker 4: created a climate inside our ranks that feel political when

2001
01:55:29,440 --> 01:55:32,920
Speaker 4: it has hasn't ever been political. Those are the types

2002
01:55:32,920 --> 01:55:35,080
Speaker 4: of things that are going to change. And Senator Sullivan,

2003
01:55:35,080 --> 01:55:37,400
Speaker 4: you mentioned that study after a whole study was held

2004
01:55:37,800 --> 01:55:42,800
Speaker 4: Extremism Working Group study, one hundred extremists were identified in

2005
01:55:43,200 --> 01:55:46,240
Speaker 4: the ranks of three million, and most of those were

2006
01:55:46,240 --> 01:55:46,880
Speaker 4: gang related.

2007
01:55:47,040 --> 01:55:48,840
Speaker 2: You, misters a made up boogeyman.

2008
01:55:48,920 --> 01:55:51,560
Speaker 7: To begin with, you, mister Haiseth, are not the extremist.

2009
01:55:51,880 --> 01:55:54,760
Speaker 20: The people who would deny you your expression of faith

2010
01:55:55,120 --> 01:56:00,280
Speaker 20: are the extremists. They're the racists, they're the bigots. You're

2011
01:56:00,280 --> 01:56:03,720
Speaker 20: the one that's protecting their right to be one. Thank

2012
01:56:03,760 --> 01:56:07,080
Speaker 20: you for that. I want to go to another point

2013
01:56:07,120 --> 01:56:10,560
Speaker 20: in your opening statement, and it's summarizing this beautiful one

2014
01:56:10,640 --> 01:56:15,880
Speaker 20: sentence paragraph. You said, quote leaders at all levels will

2015
01:56:15,920 --> 01:56:19,960
Speaker 20: be held accountable, and war fighting and lethality and the

2016
01:56:20,000 --> 01:56:23,000
Speaker 20: readiness of the troops and their families will be our

2017
01:56:23,120 --> 01:56:27,520
Speaker 20: only focus at that moment. In my mind's eye, I

2018
01:56:27,560 --> 01:56:33,720
Speaker 20: heard soldiers, airmen, marines, sailors, guardians from the Pentagon to

2019
01:56:33,800 --> 01:56:39,560
Speaker 20: the Pacific and everywhere in between applaud, applod and they're thinking,

2020
01:56:39,680 --> 01:56:43,160
Speaker 20: it's about time I can get on board with that idea.

2021
01:56:43,680 --> 01:56:46,440
Speaker 20: And quite honestly, and I want to get to this

2022
01:56:46,480 --> 01:56:49,360
Speaker 20: because I think it's so important.

2023
01:56:50,240 --> 01:56:52,480
Speaker 7: I would say not. I don't know just about every

2024
01:56:52,560 --> 01:56:53,320
Speaker 7: maybe everyone.

2025
01:56:53,360 --> 01:56:55,840
Speaker 20: I'm trying to think of an exception to this that

2026
01:56:56,280 --> 01:56:58,560
Speaker 20: where's the uniform that has ever come before this committee

2027
01:56:58,640 --> 01:57:00,960
Speaker 20: or that I've met with privately, pub quickly that I've

2028
01:57:00,960 --> 01:57:03,360
Speaker 20: been on tours with, that I've traveled with that war

2029
01:57:03,400 --> 01:57:06,520
Speaker 20: the uniform, whether it's with four stars or no stars,

2030
01:57:07,280 --> 01:57:10,840
Speaker 20: agrees with that statement. And I just want to caution you,

2031
01:57:10,920 --> 01:57:13,360
Speaker 20: and I'd be interested in your feedback on this. You know,

2032
01:57:13,440 --> 01:57:16,640
Speaker 20: there's been a lot of talk about firing woke generals,

2033
01:57:16,840 --> 01:57:19,640
Speaker 20: you're creating the Purge group and all those things you and.

2034
01:57:19,680 --> 01:57:20,400
Speaker 7: I have talked about.

2035
01:57:21,360 --> 01:57:23,720
Speaker 20: I would say, give those men and women a chance

2036
01:57:23,960 --> 01:57:27,520
Speaker 20: under new leadership. You know, my favorite painting in the

2037
01:57:27,600 --> 01:57:33,320
Speaker 20: rotunda is of George Washington retiring his commission, establishing on

2038
01:57:33,440 --> 01:57:36,440
Speaker 20: day one, a man who could have been king chose

2039
01:57:36,480 --> 01:57:38,480
Speaker 20: to be a civilian leader of this country.

2040
01:57:39,160 --> 01:57:42,800
Speaker 7: And I just, I just would encourage you to.

2041
01:57:44,480 --> 01:57:49,640
Speaker 20: Trust them first and look forward to them saluting, saluting

2042
01:57:49,640 --> 01:57:51,959
Speaker 20: the civilian leadership of this country.

2043
01:57:52,200 --> 01:57:54,120
Speaker 7: So just maybe if you could spend a.

2044
01:57:54,080 --> 01:57:57,640
Speaker 20: Minute just elaborating a little bit about the wokeness, where

2045
01:57:57,680 --> 01:58:00,520
Speaker 20: it comes from, and who will be held hauntable.

2046
01:58:00,800 --> 01:58:04,280
Speaker 4: The wokeness comes not from the uniform ranked senator, from

2047
01:58:04,280 --> 01:58:08,520
Speaker 4: the political class. On day one, on January twentieth, when

2048
01:58:08,520 --> 01:58:09,640
Speaker 4: President Trump is sworn in.

2049
01:58:09,640 --> 01:58:12,760
Speaker 2: He will issue a new set of lawful orders, and the.

2050
01:58:12,760 --> 01:58:15,480
Speaker 4: Leadership of our services will have an opportunity to follow

2051
01:58:15,520 --> 01:58:16,720
Speaker 4: those lawful orders or not.

2052
01:58:17,360 --> 01:58:19,520
Speaker 2: Those lawful orders will not be based on politics.

2053
01:58:19,520 --> 01:58:23,400
Speaker 4: They will be based on readiness, accountability, standards, and lethality.

2054
01:58:23,760 --> 01:58:27,120
Speaker 4: That is the process by which leaders will be judged.

2055
01:58:27,200 --> 01:58:30,840
Speaker 4: And accountability is coming because everybody.

2056
01:58:30,400 --> 01:58:34,040
Speaker 2: In this room knows. If you're a rifleman and you lose.

2057
01:58:33,760 --> 01:58:38,440
Speaker 4: Your rifle, they're throwing the book at you. But if

2058
01:58:38,480 --> 01:58:42,120
Speaker 4: you're a general who loses a war, you get a promotion.

2059
01:58:43,280 --> 01:58:45,720
Speaker 4: That's not going to happen in Donald Trump's Pentagon. There

2060
01:58:45,760 --> 01:58:49,920
Speaker 4: will be real standards for success. Everyone from the top,

2061
01:58:50,520 --> 01:58:52,760
Speaker 4: from the most senior general to the most lowly private,

2062
01:58:53,520 --> 01:58:56,839
Speaker 4: will ensure that they're treated fairly men and women inside

2063
01:58:56,880 --> 01:58:57,480
Speaker 4: that system.

2064
01:58:57,760 --> 01:58:59,920
Speaker 20: I also just want to commend you for your answer

2065
01:59:00,160 --> 01:59:02,640
Speaker 20: to Senator Fisher's questions about nuclear.

2066
01:59:02,400 --> 01:59:06,920
Speaker 12: Des Okay, they are. We're going to transition from this

2067
01:59:07,040 --> 01:59:09,760
Speaker 12: over to Charlie Kirk. To Charlie kirkshow Charlie thinks gonna

2068
01:59:09,760 --> 01:59:11,080
Speaker 12: take it much of this live. I think it's very

2069
01:59:11,120 --> 01:59:14,640
Speaker 12: important to hear this for the audience today. I wanted

2070
01:59:14,680 --> 01:59:17,920
Speaker 12: you to see this without any not just interruption, without

2071
01:59:17,960 --> 01:59:22,280
Speaker 12: any filter. You've seen every Democrat come at Pete Hesath

2072
01:59:22,320 --> 01:59:24,360
Speaker 12: and you see exactly what they are. There's been a

2073
01:59:24,400 --> 01:59:27,920
Speaker 12: great unmasking today. It's not Pete Hexath. Pete Hexath came

2074
01:59:28,240 --> 01:59:31,400
Speaker 12: with full disclosure. The great unmasking is all this. They're

2075
01:59:31,400 --> 01:59:33,840
Speaker 12: gonna work with Trump protor working Trump. It's a bald

2076
01:59:33,840 --> 01:59:37,120
Speaker 12: face lie. It's a bald face lie. This is why

2077
01:59:37,160 --> 01:59:39,320
Speaker 12: I say this is the preamble to the Days of Thunder.

2078
01:59:39,920 --> 01:59:42,240
Speaker 12: Turn it over now to what Charlie Kirk, that Charlie

2079
01:59:42,320 --> 01:59:44,480
Speaker 12: Kirk show. Jack Bosowa will be after that. We'll be

2080
01:59:44,520 --> 01:59:46,640
Speaker 12: back five to seven. I will guarantee you, and we're back

2081
01:59:46,640 --> 01:59:49,400
Speaker 12: here at five o'clock. There's still be coming after Pete Hexath,

2082
01:59:49,880 --> 01:59:51,680
Speaker 12: so we'll put more contacts in it. I want to

2083
01:59:51,680 --> 01:59:54,120
Speaker 12: thank Real America's Voice for give them the last two hours