Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth's opening comments were interrupted by multiple protesters Tuesday morning who were removed from the hearing room by Capitol police.
As Hegseth pitched his agenda to remake the military to be "warrior focused," an older man in the back of the room shouted, "You are a misogynist! You are a Christian fascist," before being removed.
A female protester wearing camouflage followed by jumping up and screaming that her father "had committed suicide after his service and you're sending money to bomb babies. Every veteran in here needs to speak up."
Some of the protesters wore pink and held signs reading "No Hegseth, no Christian jihad, code pink."
Another protesters then carried out by four officers after he accused Hegseth of "murdering babies" and added "that's a recruiting crisis!" Several other people were approached by police and directed out of the room.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., scolded those seeking to disrupt the hearings and gave praise to the police.
"I want to thank the authorities for their swift reaction to that outburst and state that similar interruptions will be treated in like manner," he said. "The Capitol Police are going to remove immediately individuals who are interrupting the hearing."
President-elect Donald Trump has stood by Hegseth since his nomination in November despite hesitation from some within his party. As the hearings began, Trump expressed his support on his Truth Social platform, posting: "Pete Hegseth will make a GREAT Secretary of Defense. He has my Complete and Total support. Good luck today, Pete!"
Hegseth has come under fire for his past statements about women in combat roles and will need answer any concerns from two former female combat veterans: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
"He can try to walk back his comments on woman in combat all he wants, but we know what he thinks, right?" Duckworth said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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