By Ray Cardello for December 6, 2024, Season 30 / Post 19

As of this writing, Pete Hegseth, former weekend host of Fox and Friends on FOX News, is still Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. Hegseth has been under incredible scrutiny from the moment he was named. Criticism ranged from being too young, to not having a high enough rank (Major), to the mockery of his current job at FOX, which didn’t stop there. After these ancillary critiques, the opposition turned personal, targeting alleged issues with alcohol, abuse of women, and poor handling of funds of non-profits. None of these have been substantiated although there was a payment from Hegseth to a woman in his past to silence her threats. Her threats had been investigated by police, and no crime was uncovered. It is typical for celebrities to avoid bad publicity by paying for a nondisclosure to silence an adversary.

Hegseth has been visiting with Senators on Capital Hill in preparation for his confirmation hearing, which will be held after January 20. Reports from these meetings indicate more attention is being given to these flagrant accusations than to his military credentials or plans for the Department of Defense should he be confirmed. This is where I see the hypocrisy of the process. The entire Senate will vet Pete Hegseth, and all the nominations by Donald Trump, and must receive a majority vote to be confirmed. This historical method presumes that the Senate is above reproach and is therefore able to pass judgement on a candidate before them.

There have been nearly 400 members of Congress who have committed grievous acts of misconduct since 1800. We have had 131 since 2000, which makes this the most corrupt century for our Senators and Representatives. You need to look at Menendez, who was booted from Congress when gold bars were found under his bed. Then, of course, there is my favorite, Eric Swalwell, who was having an affair with a Chinese spy while he was a member of the Intelligence Committee, and he is still sucking from the public teat. But these corrupt “public servants” feel they can sit behind the altar and judge a Pete Hegseth, who nearly left his body and soul in the Middle East twice. These charlatans should thank Pete Hegseth for his willingness to leave the private sector and its earning potential to go to the Pentagon and clean up Joe Biden’s mess.

Pete Hegseth cannot drop out, and Donald Trump has to back him through the process. At this point, it is less about the confirmation than it is about clearing his name. Does he have sins in his past? Of course, he does, as we all do. But he has grown, matured, and has left the darker days behind him. He needs to be judged by who he is today and who he was on the battlefield. I don’t care what he did in an after-hours bar, but what he plans to do in Washington to make us the strongest and fiercest fighting force again. We are not looking for Hegseth to be the Senate Chaplain but the head of our military. Knock off the trepidation and get it done.