More than 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals have signed an open letter supporting Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, The Daily Wire reported on Tuesday.
As Trump readies his America First agenda in January, some of his Cabinet picks have come under intense scrutiny from senators within his own party. Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department has been met with criticism from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as well as others.
The signatories, collectively calling themselves "Flag Officers 4 America" cite Hegseth's education, vast military experience, and willingness to call out the pernicious effects of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military as reasons for their support.
"He understands combat from the grassroots level and will take that much needed perspective with him as the next SECDEF. He has studied and experienced the disastrous effects Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has on our military, and he is committed to expunging it from our armed forces. His focus is solely on warfighting readiness so that our military is prepared to fulfill its mission — to fight and win our Nation's wars," the letter read.
Hegseth is scheduled to resume meeting with senators on Tuesday to shore up support for his nomination. Much of the hesitation from within the Republican ranks comes from past allegations of sexual assault. The retired military officers did not mention the allegations in their letter and instead focused on Hegseth being in line with Trump's mandate.
"President Trump has the right and responsibility to select key people who are capable of fulfilling his promises to the American people. Prominent in that mandate was making our military strong and lethal, to include removing what is called "wokeness" in the form of DEI from our armed forces," the letter continued.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Hegseth to prepare for a tough battle during the confirmation hearings. "I told him it's going to be a miserable experience, sort of like Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing," Cornyn said referring to the Justice's Supreme Court confirmation fight of 2018. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., agreed, adding, "Everything is going to be elevated. I think it's going to be Kavanaugh on steroids."
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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