Great stuff by Sen. Tim Kaine – more of this from every Democratic member of Congress!
*******************************
VIDEO: KAINE SPEAKS ON SENATE FLOOR REGARDING HIS STRONG OPPOSITION TO SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE PETE HEGSETH
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee since 2013 who has previously voted to confirm five Secretaries of Defense nominated by Democratic and Republican presidents, spoke on the Senate floor regarding his opposition to President Trump’s nominee for that position, Pete Hegseth. Kaine’s remarks followed the release of a new affidavit—or sworn statement—from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, in which she says Hegseth’s behavior caused his second wife to fear for her safety.
“…I rise to oppose the nomination and urge my colleagues to oppose it or at least take the time to really understand the gravity of behavioral challenges that have been demonstrated by Mr. Hegseth during his career. I have multiple problems with this nominee for this position. And this position, Secretary of Defense, is the position that I view – and many Virginians view – as the most important cabinet post,” Kaine said.
Kaine then expressed the reasons for his opposition.
- Kaine discussed Hegseth’s pattern of infidelity and said, “Because he wouldn’t meet with members of the committee on the Democratic side, we didn’t get a chance to talk about that in a closed setting, which would have been most important.”
- Kaine then mentioned reports of Hegseth’s poor management at two veteran service organizations. He said, “Mr. Hegseth has been the leader of two nonprofit organizations that are veteran service organizations… Women were made to feel they were second class in the organization, and alcohol abuse was common in workplace events.”
- Kaine also brought up allegations of sexual assault, including a 2017 incident in Monterey, California. Kaine said, “I will call it an undisclosed sexual assault claim because Mr. Hegseth never told the Trump Transition Team about this event when he was being considered and vetted to be Secretary of Defense… He says it was consensual – not a sexual assault or rape… but he acknowledges that [the event] occurred…The survivor went to local law enforcement [and] filed a sexual assault claim. The claim was investigated over a period of time. The prosecutor ultimately decided not to pursue criminal charges against Mr. Hegseth, but there was a civil claim as well that later led to a settlement with the victim, payment of cash to the victim, and the entrance into a non-disclosure agreement with the victim.”
- Kaine then continued about his concerns with Hegseth not disclosing this 2017 case to the Trump Transition Team and said, “None of this was disclosed to the Trump Team as they were examining him to be Secretary of Defense. He didn’t disclose the event. He didn’t disclose the criminal sexual assault claim. He didn’t disclose the fact of an investigation. He didn’t disclose the civil claim. He didn’t disclose the settlement. He didn’t disclose the cash payment. He didn’t disclose the non-disclosure agreement… When I asked him why, he didn’t really have an answer, and I told him I know the reason why. You were worried that if you told [the Trump Transition Team] about this, they would not nominate you to be Secretary of Defense. The relationship between a Secretary of Defense and a President is a very important relationship that demands complete candor… I don’t want a Secretary of Defense who is unwilling to be candid with the Commander-in-Chief, and he’s already demonstrated grave reason to doubt whether he will be candid…”
- Kaine then discussed the recent affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law and said, “An affidavit was filed yesterday by… the former sister-in-law of the nominee revealing publicly facts suggesting spousal abuse in Mr. Hegseth’s second marriage… I haven’t talked to her. I was not aware of that allegation, but it didn’t surprise anyone on the committee who had reviewed the record. Why not? Because there are already facts in the record raising this very question.”
- Kaine brought up Hegseth’s nomination hearing last week. He said, “I found it very unusual that when I asked Mr. Hegseth at the hearing – a sexual assault would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense? He would not agree with me. Spousal abuse would be disqualifying to be a Secretary of Defense? He would not agree with me. Being impaired by alcohol while on the job would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense? He would not agree with me. These are not hard questions. That they are clearly disqualifying behaviors, and the fact that he would not agree that they were disqualifying behaviors suggested to me as I was watching that testimony that they evinced a little bit of a guilty conscience.”
- Kaine continued to discuss the lack of a thorough FBI investigation into Mr. Hegseth, which all nominees go through. He said, “The FBI didn’t even interview the wives – even after a mother’s letter had said that [Hegseth is] a serial abuser of women, including [his] two wives. The FBI did not even go out and interview the wives. Why not? …Was it an investigation or was it just … a box checking exercise? A lot of us when we heard it sort of raised hell about it… After the fact, [the FBI] went out and did a very cursory discussion with one of the wives… I have not seen that material. I have not been allowed to see it. That in itself should shock my colleagues and the public.”
“…My request of my colleagues is a simple one. Why rush? Why rush? Why would we rush to put through a nomination for a position of this importance that is freighted with so much baggage and so much evidence of glaring character and judgment errors? Do we want to have egg on our face? Do we want to rush and have this blow up later? Do we want to rush and then have other witnesses come out as Danielle Hegseth did yesterday? Is that what the Senate’s Advice and Consent process mandated by the Constitution for a very important reason has come to – [a] cursory investigation that doesn’t get to the underlying facts even when they’re sitting right out there before us and we’re going to rush to confirm someone? For what reason?” Kaine concluded, “Let’s take the time, and when we cast a vote on confirmation, cast it with the confidence that we have complete information about the man who has been nominated to be our Secretary of Defense.”
During Hegseth’s nomination hearing last week, Kaine asked Hegseth if he had committed sexual assault or spousal abuse. Hegseth denied both. Kaine also asked Hegseth if committing sexual assault or spousal abuse or working under the influence of alcohol would disqualify an individual from being Secretary of Defense, and Hegseth refused to answer. Kaine’s questions followed public reporting of an email that Hegseth’s mother wrote to him in 2018, in which she said he had routinely mistreated women for years.
Kaine has never before voted against a nominee to be Secretary of Defense.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
