GOP Sen. Banks says ‘it’s a matter of national security’ to quickly confirm Hegseth

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• Amna Nawaz:

  And joining me now to discuss today's confirmation hearing is Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and was in the room today.

  Senator, welcome to the "News Hour." Thanks for joining us.

• Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN):

  Good to be with you.

• Amna Nawaz:

  So Mr. Hegseth faced some pretty tough questions today on the past allegations of excessive drinking, his infidelity, and judgment, management inexperience. How do you think he handled those questions today?

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  I thought the hearing went exceptionally well for Pete Hegseth. The Democrats were looking for a gotcha moment, and they were trying to land a blow. But they couldn't do it because they keep manufacturing and repeating anonymous sources and allegations.

  And at the end of the day, we walked out of the room, and I thought Pete, who had momentum going into the hearing, had even more momentum coming out of it. It went very well for him. He focused on the issues, why it matters that we send a secretary of defense who's serious about preparing to fight and win wars to be the next secretary, why Donald Trump picked him to do that.

  And I think he picked up even more support in the room after the hearing. I'm looking forward to us moving quickly to confirm him on January 20 and send him to the Pentagon to do his job.

• Amna Nawaz:

  As you have seen, several senators have very plainly they don't believe Mr. Hegseth has the experience to do this job. His management experience is limited to a couple of small nonprofits.

  Why do you believe that that lack of experience isn't an issue here?

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  Well, keep in mind, those were partisan attacks. The Democrats on the committee in the minority, they were the ones that were repeating these anonymous allegations.

  So — and Mr. Hegseth addressed each and every one of them.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Senator Banks, there's nothing anonymous about the fact that he's run two small nonprofits. I'm just asking about his management experience here.

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  What he did at the pro-veteran organizations is very important, advocating for our post-9/11 veterans. And he did it very effectively on Capitol Hill. He was a big part of President Trump's pro-veteran initiatives in his first term.

  But even on top of that, and Pete Hegseth talked about this in the room, he led hundreds of troops into battle, both in the Army Reserve in Iraq. He served in the National Guard. He served in Afghanistan like I did. He led troops into battle. And, to me, that's an incredible experience that prepares him to be a very good secretary of defense.

  Keep in mind, he has two Bronze Stars. He's decorated as a combat veteran. He's well-equipped to do this job, and he will do it a lot better than the current guy who's in the role today.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You have mentioned as well — and we should point out you're a combat veteran as well.

  Mr. Hegseth has said in the past very clearly that he does not support women in combat. He has changed his stance since he was nominated. I want to ask why you think he changed his mind, and do you believe him now?

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  Well, I would say, rather, he clarified his remarks and talked about the importance of having strong standards. We shouldn't water down standards for those who go to combat.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Senator Banks, all due respect, he said very clearly there's no place for women in combat, and now has now changed it to say there is a place, given that they meet certain standards.

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  And, today, he clarified those comments and talked about the importance of standards, as well as in recruitment.

  We have the biggest recruitment crisis in the 50 years of an all-volunteer force. And we shouldn't be lowering the standards for those who go into combat. That's what Pete Hegseth articulated today about women in combat. He talked about the important role that women play in our military. I served in Afghanistan with a lot of remarkable women who did extraordinary things downrange in Afghanistan.

  And Pete did as well. And he articulated that very well today.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You know, the rape allegation from 2017 also came up, that one that Mr. Hegseth paid to settle.

  You may have seen there's now new reporting in "The New Yorker" from Jane Mayer, citing three sources, that says senators, including Joni Ernst and Susan Collins, turned down offers to hear privately from Hegseth's accuser.

  I'm just asking, would you want the chance to meet with that accuser privately to be able to see through your due diligence in this advice-and-consent role?

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  Again, it's unfortunate that we would deal with anonymous allegations and sources. If these people want to come forward and publicly make those claims, they would be much more credible and taken more seriously.

  But that hasn't happened. And the Democrats and the committee repeated these anonymous allegations today. I can't speak to other senators and who they have heard from.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Senator Banks, if I may, to clarify, I'm asking if you would meet privately with this woman who was behind the accusation in 2017.

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  Sure. But no one has reached out to me to do that. And at this point, we need to get Pete Hegseth on the job in the role as the secretary of defense to clean up the mess over the last four years. And that's why I fully support his confirmation.

• Amna Nawaz:

  That's Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana joining us tonight.

  Senator, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.

• Sen. Jim Banks:

  Thank you.

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