Victim of smears or reformed man? Trump's defence chief pick evaded difficult questions on character
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There is no dispute that Pete Hegseth is an unorthodox pick. That is precisely why he was Donald Trump's chosen one. The former Fox News host and National Guard veteran is a proud, self-styled "change agent" with forthright views on the US military - from its ability to beat China in a possible future conflict to the woke ideology he believes has infested the ranks.
The Senate confirmation gauntlet for Pete Hegseth was the mother of all interviews to lead the mother of all government departments. Over four hours he sought to prove that he is the right person to be US defence secretary - leading a department of three million people with a budget of $8bn (£6.5bn) - despite having no experience of leadership at anything like that level.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. His character dominated - Democratic Senator Mark Kelly listed allegations of occasions when he had been drunk and incapacitated. Mr Hegseth dismissed them one by one as "anonymous smears". Mr Kelly then asked him if he'd have answered differently had he been under oath. He had no answer for that.
Then, questions about his sexual conduct. It emerged last month that a California woman had told police that Mr Hegseth physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone and sexually assaulted her. Mr Hegseth was not charged with a crime in connection with the allegation.
