When Donald Trump announced plans to nominate Matt Gaetz for attorney general, a consensus quickly formed: The choice was indefensibly insane. It was as if the president-elect went out of his way to find the Platonic ideal of the worst possible choice for the powerful position, and then announced the selection.
We all know how that turned out for Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration in the face of bipartisan opposition. What’s less well known is that the president-elect choosing Pete Hegseth to oversee the Defense Department is every bit as obscene.
There’s no great mystery as to how and why this came together: Trump has long enjoyed the Fox News personality’s on-air comments, which apparently led the incoming president to conclude that Hegseth should lead the Pentagon. But that’s utterly bonkers.
The Department of Defense is one of the largest employers in the United States. It’s also one of the largest and most complex bureaucracies, not just in the country, but on the planet. Overseeing such a powerful and important governmental behemoth requires a variety of administrative, diplomatic and organizational skills, on top of a nuanced understanding of how the world’s preeminent fighting force works.
Hegseth’s lack of qualifications — he has no relevant leadership experience — couldn’t be more obvious.
But his thin resume isn’t the only problem. We are, after all, talking about a right-wing television personality who’s argued, as recently as this month, that women in the armed forces shouldn’t be allowed to serve in combat roles. Hegseth has also talked about ousting military leaders from their positions if he considers them “woke.”
He’s written bizarre and conspiratorial books. He’s condemned the military’s ban on right-wing extremists. He’s peddled anti-Muslim rhetoric. And perhaps most importantly, a woman accused Hegseth of sexual assault in 2017. He has denied the allegations, insisting the sexual encounter was consensual. The Fox News personality paid his accuser an undisclosed amount of money in exchange for her staying quiet. No charges were filed in the case.
Common sense — and common decency — would suggest that the Senate would never seriously consider such a person for a presidential cabinet. And yet, The New York Times reported late last week: On Thursday, some Republican senators defended Mr. Hegseth, emphasizing that no charges were filed in the case. After meeting with him in Mr. Vance’s Senate office, Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee attributed the allegations to “the media’s focus on personal attacks,” calling Mr. Hegseth “the right guy to inspire the Pentagon.” Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, referred to accusations as “press reports.”
“I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” Wicker added after meeting with Hegseth. The Sunday shows were filled with similar assessments from GOP senators. Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Eric Schmitt of Missouri all scrambled to downplay Hegseth’s scandals. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois — an Army veteran who lost both of her legs in combat — has taken the lead in opposing Hegseth, declaring over the weekend that he’s “inordinately unqualified for the position.” Will she find four GOP colleagues willing to come to the same conclusion? Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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