Duckworth: Hegseth nomination an 'insult' to Defense Department

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) spoke out against President-elect Trump’s nomination of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary, calling the nomination an “insult” to the Department of Defense.

“It’s frankly an insult and really troubling that Mr. Trump would nominate someone who has admitted that he’s paid off a victim who has claimed rape allegations against him,” she said on a Sunday “Face the Nation” appearance. “This is not the kind of person you want to lead the Department of Defense.”

Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017. An attorney for the Army veteran and former co-host of Fox News’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” has acknowledged the woman received a financial settlement to quiet the allegations.

Duckworth lost both of her legs and some mobility in her arm when serving in Iraq. The Purple Heart recipient said she plans to raise questions about the allegations in the nomination process. Duckworth was also among some of the first women to fly combat missions as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot.

She also slammed Hegseth’s military experience compared to his appointed job, saying Trump’s decision to tap the Fox News host shows his “lack of understanding” of the military. Hegseth served in combat but never held a command position.

“Remember that the Pentagon is 3 million servicemen and women and civilians. It is over a $900 billion budget,” Duckworth said. “He’s never run anything anywhere near to that size."

Hegseth has also advocated against women in combat roles, which Duckworth has previously spoken out against as well.