Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., questioned defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in a confirmation hearing Tuesday held by the Senate Committee on Armed Services.
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"Few nominees come into this room with all the necessary experience to do this job, to be secretary of defense. We get that. It's a reflection on just how big of a job this is," Kelly said. "What I want to understand is whether or not you bring any of the necessary experience that this job requires."
Kelly noted that while Hegseth has admitted to personal character issues in the past, he hasn't specified what those personal challenges are. The senator then detailed a number of alleged problematic professional incidents and asked Hegseth to respond to each one. Hegseth characterized each as "anonymous smear."
Hegseth is a military veteran and conservative media personality. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, and been criticized as a nominee for his controversial views on diversity and religion in the military.