Washington, D.C. – Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) released the following statement after voting against confirming Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense:
“I carefully review each nominee President Trump puts forward and judge them on their qualifications, character, and ability to do the job – on behalf of Delawareans and all Americans. I take my constitutional responsibility as a member of the United States Senate to advise and consent seriously. After thorough evaluation, it is abundantly clear that Pete Hegseth is wholly unqualified to be the next Secretary of Defense, which is why I voted against him tonight on the floor.
“The allegations of sexual assault against him demonstrate a severe lack of judgement and deeply flawed character. Under no circumstance should the leader of our troops be held to a different standard than our troops hold themselves.
“The accounts of financial and workplace mismanagement of organizations he led do not lend confidence that he would be able to oversee one of the most complex and powerful organizations in the world, which includes nearly three million employees and a budget of nearly $850 billion.
“I am also concerned about the multiple statements he made about women serving in the military. His disrespect of the valuable contributions made by the thousands of women who have served, do serve, and will serve in active and non-active-duty roles is unbecoming of someone tasked with leading the Pentagon.
“The American people deserve a Defense Secretary with integrity who is capable of meeting the precarious moment we find ourselves in globally. In my estimation, Mr. Hegseth is not that person.”
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