An Illinois legislator called U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s behavior during the Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday “embarrassing.”
Duckworth, a disabled veteran, yelled as she tried to force Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth to answer a “yes or no” question.
“Have you led an audit of any organization? Yes or no? I don’t want a long answer. Yes or no, have you led an audit of any organization of which you were in charge?” asked Duckworth, D-Schaumburg.
“Senator, in both of the organizations I ran, we were always completely fiscally responsible,” Hegseth responded.
“Yes or no, did you lead an audit? What are you afraid of? You can’t answer this question. Yes or no, did you lead an audit? Do you not know this answer?” pressed Duckworth.
“Senator, every part of my leadership of these organizations has been misrepresented,” said Hegseth.
“I will take that as a no,” said Duckworth.
Illinois state Rep. David Friess, R-Red Bud, also a veteran, said he’s unsure if Duckworth really cares whether Hegseth is qualified.
“I have no idea if she actually believes what she says, but the hyperbolic nature and the way she says it … I think it is for social media,” said Friess. “You do this stuff and you get your base riled up and I thought her actions were shameful. It was not becoming of a U.S. Senator.”
Friess was skeptical of whether current Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ever conducted an audit. Friess said most people haven’t dealt with a budget the size of the Pentagon’s and that Hegseth never conducting an audit does not disqualify him.
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, accused some Democratic senators of being drunk on the job, and he called them hypocritical for holding Hegseth to a standard they could never attain.
“What if you showed up drunk to your job? How many senators showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you asked them to step down? Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it because I know you have,” Mullin said during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing. “How about a divorce for cheating on their wives? Have you asked those senators to step down? You guys make a big show. The man [Hegseth] made a mistake, and you wanna sit there and say he’s not qualified? … You guys hold yourselves to this ‘higher standard’ and yet you have a big plank in your eye.”
Friess called Mullin’s accusations “hilarious.”
“All these guys were passing judgment on Pete Hegseth because he’s divorced or has some personal issues in his background, we all do,” Friess said. “Getting divorced disqualifies you for a job? Being a state legislator, people drink and people drink in excess, and that doesn’t make them a bad person, maybe poor judgment.”
He further said Hegseth has made clear his aim concerning drinking alcohol.
“I saw an interview and Hegseth said if he gets the job he’s done drinking. He [Hegseth] said, ‘I will not drink because I don’t know when I am going to get that phone call,’” said Friess.
Friess said Austin has shown poor judgment.
“He went into Walter Reed for however many days and he was [missing in action]. No one knew where the hell he was because he had prostate cancer,” Friess said. “That was shameful and honestly that disqualified him. As Secretary of Defense, you don’t check out for however many days and don’t tell anyone where you’re at.”
Hegseth was peppered with questions from senators about his stance on women in combat roles. His position, according to his testimony, is that women have a place in the military, just not in special operations, artillery, infantry and armor units.
