This week, Pete Hegseth is headed back to Capitol Hill in an attempt to salvage his Defense Secretary nomination after new polling revealed only 2 in 10 Americans approve of him. Hegseth’s scandal-ridden nomination has included revelations that he opposed women in combat, defended privatizing the VA, and is facing “disturbing” allegations about his appalling behavior leading to growing doubts from Republicans and military leaders about his fitness for this post. Here are just a few of the questions he owes the American people answers to: 

Will Pete Hegseth explain his “regressive” views on women’s freedoms, including “joking that women shouldn’t have the right to vote” and opposing women serving in combat?

Vanity Fair: “But Hegseth also displayed his hard-right politics. ‘We would argue about women’s reproductive rights. He had some regressive views on birth control. His position was basically, if you got pregnant it was your fault.’ Another person close to Hegseth recalled him joking that women shouldn’t have the right to vote. […]”

Pete Hegseth: “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.”

Will Hegseth answer for the “disturbing” allegations about his behavior – including reports of sexual assault?

CNN: “A California woman told police that Trump Cabinet pick Pete Hegseth physically blocked her from leaving a hotel room, took her phone, and then sexually assaulted her even though she ‘remembered saying ‘no’ a lot,’ a police report obtained by CNN shows.”

Newsweek: “South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that it will be ‘difficult’ for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, to defend himself against an allegation of sexual assault.

“Graham called the allegation ‘disturbing,’ telling CBS News, ‘I think some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is it’s going to be difficult…’”

Does Hegseth stand by privatizing veterans’ health care, scamming veterans out of their earned benefits, and advocating for predatory for-profit colleges?

Air & Space Forces Magazine: “Hegseth worked for a number of conservative groups, including Vets for Freedom and the conservative-backed Concerned Veterans for America, which pushed for privatization of many Department of Veterans Affairs functions.”

Media Matters: “Fox’s Pete Hegseth, Brian Kilmeade criticize American veterans who apply for every government benefit they qualify for”

ProPublica: “For-Profit Colleges Tap a Fox News Host to Influence Trump” 

How does Hegseth respond to Republicans’ and military leaders’ “alarm” about his lack of experience? 

Politico: “Hegseth, if confirmed by the Senate, would lead 1.3 million active-duty troops in uniform and more than 750,000 civilians, hold contentious meetings with U.S. allies and develop strike options against the Islamic State and Iranian proxies. And while Hegseth has military experience, he has never run an organization larger than a small nonprofit.

“‘Would you trust him to run Walmart?’ said a former DOD official. ‘Because that’s how many employees we have.’

“‘Folks are shocked,’ said a current DOD official. ‘He’s just a Fox News personality that’s never worked in the government.’

“‘It is a massive bureaucracy, you have to understand how that works to support national security around the globe,’ the official added. ‘It is tedious and challenging and it is not at all related to getting on Fox News and pontificating.’”

Wall Street Journal: “Republican senators said that they want closer scrutiny of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary. […] The former Fox News host was an unconventional choice for the top Pentagon job, as he has never led a large government agency, but the debate about his qualifications has been overshadowed by allegations related to his personal life. 

Washington Post: “Since being tapped to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has never run a large government agency, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and mismanagement. He denies the charges and is now meeting with Senate Republicans to build support for his confirmation. […]

“In interviews this week, several GOP senators opted not to disclose whether they would vote for Hegseth, even as some Senate aides privately questioned whether he’d make it through the confirmation process.” 

Will Hegseth continue to spread “baseless” conspiracy theories about January 6 and “justify” the actions of the dangerous J6 insurrectionists who attacked our men and women in uniform? 

CNN: “President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, justified the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and spread baseless conspiracy theories claiming the initial break-in was a false flag operation carried out by leftist groups disguised as Trump supporters.”

HuffPost: “The television personality has been a vocal Trump supporter and defended the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying that the crowd seeking to overturn the 2020 election results just ‘loved freedom.’”