US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was grilled Tuesday by lawmakers about past controversies he has been embroiled in, while expressing support for Israel killing all remaining members of Palestinian terror group Hamas in the war in Gaza. Speaking at his confirmation hearing before the US Senate’s Armed Services Committee, Hegseth said: “I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas.” “I’m a Christian and I robustly support the State of Israel and its existential defense,” Hegseth told the Congressional committee when asked if he considers himself a “Christian Zionist.”
BREAKING: Senator Tom Cotton asks Pete Hegseth "Do you support Israel's war in Gaza?"
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 14, 2025
Pete Hegseth: "I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas." pic.twitter.com/RKSrxVtU5z
He charged that the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror onslaught against Israel was the direct result of President Joe Biden’s 2021 withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, which he also blamed for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There is no evidence linking either world event to Afghanistan or the Taliban, which now governs the country. But he said the withdrawal, which was widely criticized, was a public failure of American leadership.Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, stuck to his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying they are “dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells, not putting meritocracy first.”
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