'Unreadiness': George Will details 'ample reasons' to reject controversial Trump nominee

24 January

A full U.S. Senate vote on Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's embattled nominee for secretary of defense, is expected for Friday night, January 24.

Two GOP senators, Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, announced that they will be voting against Hegseth's confirmation. But Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), despite expressing skepticism about Hegseth in December, said she is a "yes" vote. And assuming that all Senate Democrats and independents who caucus with them vote "no," at least four GOP defections will be necessary in order to sink Hegseth's nomination.

Never Trump conservative and veteran Washington Post columnist George Will believes there are "ample reasons" to oppose confirming Hegseth as defense secretary. But in his January 24 column, Will notes that Hegseth's reported history of alcohol abuse isn't at the top of his list.

Rather, Will argues that Hegseth lacks the experience and temperament for a job as "demanding and consequential" as leading the Pentagon.

"Hegseth, 44, should be presumed sincere when he says his alcohol-fueled sexual rowdiness is in his regretted past," the conservative columnist argues. "Controversies about his past loutishness should not be dispositive when deciding whether he should be confirmed. There are ample other reasons to reject his nomination."

Will continues, "An independent forensic accountant found evidence of gross financial mismanagement while Hegseth was administering two small nonprofits. This information is redundant evidence of what is facially obvious: his unreadiness to manage the Pentagon's almost $900 billion budget — soon, one hopes, $1 trillion — 3.4 million military and civilian employees, and relations with myriad contractors and foreign military."

Will cites Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island as an "exemplary Democrat" who laid out some of Hegseth's greatest flaws as a nominee during a recent confirmation hearing.

Reed, Will notes, criticized Hegseth's "disregard for the law of armed conflict" and "support for service members who have been convicted of war crimes," adding, "You have championed the pardoning of military members who were turned in by their fellow soldiers and SEALs, as well as military contractors convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians without cause."

Will observes, "In last Monday's inaugural address, President Donald Trump vowed to encourage a 'merit-based' society. He certainly did not start with the Pentagon’s E-ring."

George Will's full Washington Post column is available at this link (subscription required).

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