‘Pete’s A Patriot’: More Than 100 Veterans And Supporters Rally For Hegseth’s Pentagon Nomination
More than 100 former Navy SEALs, military veterans, and other supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. on Monday to back Pete Hegseth’s nomination as the next secretary of defense. The rally comes ahead of Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
“These are warfighters. That’s who support[s] Pete. That’s who’s on this podium. These are men and women who put it on the line for our country. And they’re telling you the way it is,” former Navy SEAL Bill Brown said.
Monday’s presser comes amid a series of unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing in the workplace leveled against Hegseth by alleged anonymous sources leading up to Tuesday’s confirmation hearing. Laundered by America’s corrupt corporate media, some of these claims appear to stem from a former disgruntled employee. They have also been heavily disputed by Hegseth’s former colleagues and associates.
A woman also previously accused Hegseth of sexual assault following a purported 2017 sexual encounter between the two. Prosecutors declined to press charges due to a lack of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to reports.
[READ: The Police Report About Pete Hegseth’s Alleged Sexual Assault Vindicates Him Of Criminality]
Several veterans in Monday’s gathering are former Navy SEALs who participated in the GI Go Fund’s Navy SEAL Hudson River Swims, a charity event involving former SEALs, “fellow veterans and military supporters in a swim across the Hudson River to honor our military veterans, their families, and all of those who died during 9/11 and the wars that followed that fateful day.” Hegseth previously partook in the swim during his time as a Fox News host.
Rob Sweetman, a Navy SEAL veteran, told event attendees that the country and its military service members “need Pete Hegseth” as defense secretary, and lambasted the “smear campaign” designed to tank his confirmation.
“Pete’s a good dude, we know him personally,” Sweetman said. “He’s a patriot, he’s went down range, he’s done the right things, and he’s got my vote.”
Kenny Bigbee Jr., a Navy SEAL veteran and fellow participant in the Hudson River Swims, said “the only way to transcend politics is [through] service and sacrifice with your life for our inalienable rights,” and noted that Hegseth has fulfilled that obligation throughout his career.
“Pete Hegseth showed up and showed out to show his patriotism, domestically, to represent our people and to give our best to our vets,” Bigbee said, referring to Hegseth’s participation in the Hudson River Swim. “Pete Hegseth has served and proven to serve and sacrifice with his life for our inalienable rights.”
Marine Corps veteran Jessica Quezada blasted the media’s smear campaign against Hegseth and said, “If you want to see a representation of who he is … look at the caliber of individuals standing behind a man [they] know … is gonna do good” in his role as defense secretary.
“We are so frustrated and angry by what has come undone by the current administration,” Quezada said. “I am a woman [and] a Marine Corps veteran who is in support of a man that is gonna represent every single person in the uniform, regardless of their gender, regardless of their color … .”
Monday’s presser also featured comments from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During his remarks, the Cotton State’s senior senator reaffirmed he is “110 percent” behind Hegseth’s nomination and pledged to help “get him across the finish line.”
“We need to straighten our military academies out. We need to get back to everyday respect and loyalty and belief in this country with our military, and it all starts with Pete Hegseth,” Tuberville said.
[READ: Pete Hegseth’s Battle Scars Are His Strength]
Hegseth is expected to face hostile questioning from the Senate Armed Service Committee’s Democrat members during Tuesday’s hearing.
Last week, for example, committee member and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a 33-page letter containing dishonestly framed and accusatory statements and questions about Hegseth’s beliefs and history. This included an apparent smear of Hegseth’s Christian faith.
The Massachusetts Democrat noted how during his time in the Army National Guard, Hegseth was “removed from President Biden’s inauguration” after a fellow D.C. Guard member flagged him as a potential “insider threat.” The Guard member pegged his alleged concerns on Hegseth’s “Deus Vult” tattoo — which is Latin for “God wills it.”
Quoting a Reuters article in her letter, Warren claimed the tattoo “was a Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism.”
“We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow servicemembers feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat,” Warren wrote.
[READ: Pete Hegseth Is The Perfect Candidate To Gut The Pentagon’s Bureaucratic Rot]
It’s not just Senate Democrats who could potentially stall Hegseth’s confirmation, however.
Last month, multiple Trump world sources told The Federalist that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was waging an “aggressive” personal jihad to derail Hegseth’s nomination. This included reports that Ernst — a member of the Armed Services Committee — made several phone calls to Trump to urge him to dump Hegseth as defense secretary and enlisted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to lobby the incoming president to replace Hegseth with Ernst.
Both Republicans seemingly changed their tunes on Hegseth’s nomination following The Federalist’s reporting on their behind-the-scenes antics.
[READ: Republicans Would Be Stupid Not To Confirm Pete Hegseth As Secretary Of Defense]
Meanwhile, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., refused to commit to supporting Hegseth’s confirmation when pressed by The Federalist on his position last month, while Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. — who has pledged to back Hegseth and other Trump nominees — issued a veiled threat to conservative voters that continued pressure to confirm Trump’s picks could prompt Republicans to side with Democrats in tanking their nominations.
This article has been updated since publication.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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