Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Newsmax on Tuesday that from what he saw at Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing earlier in the day, it appears the military veteran is "on target" to be confirmed as the next secretary of Defense.
"I think he did a good job," Rounds told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" about how Hegseth fared. "I think he was prepared. There were no surprises today in terms of the attacks from our Democrat colleagues, and I think most of the Republicans pretty much stuck to the technical details about what a secretary of the Department of Defense would want to have for background information.
"There really just was simply a matter of going through this open hearing and allowing Mr. Hegseth the opportunity to showcase the fact that he was a boots-on-the-ground guy, that he understood from the point of view of many of our veterans, that he understood what they had been through," he continued. "He's been in combat himself. He's had people die around him. He's helped wounded individuals. So, he understands that, and we haven't had someone in that capacity come in and actually work as the head of that department in a long, long time."
Rounds said that at the same time, his Democrat colleagues "were on target in terms of their attack" during Hegseth's hearing.
"They were very much doing exactly what we thought they were going to do, but I think Mr. Hegseth did a good job of responding," he said. "Look, it hasn't changed any votes, as near as I can tell, and I think he's on target in terms of becoming the next secretary of the Department of Defense."
While he believes the Democrats at the hearing were trying to "express some frustration," Rounds said the bottom line is that congressional Republicans "want someone who's going to bring lethality back to the department."
"He was critical of some of the things that have occurred in the last four years," Rounds said of Hegseth's responses. "He was trying to make it very clear that he wanted moms and dads who have young men and women who want to be a part of the military, to know that they're going to get the best leadership, that they're going to get the best training, and they're going to get the best equipment that they can possibly get, so that they're never going to have to enter a fair fight, and that they're always going to have the upper hand. And that's his focus."
The South Dakota senator acknowledged that Hegseth's approach is "a little bit different than what we've seen sometimes when we start talking about some of the social issues" that have infiltrated the Defense Department during the Biden administration.
"That frustration, I think, came out today with a number of our Democrat colleagues, but it was expected and I think Mr. Hegseth was well prepared to respond," Rounds said.
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