'I Do Not Believe That You Are Qualified'

Pete Hegseth was getting grilled on Capitol Hill Tuesday in his confirmation hearing to be the next defense secretary. At the same time, the former Fox host defended himself against what he calls a "smear campaign" by the media. Some early highlights:

• Critic: "I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job," said Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island in his opening remarks, per Politico. He called allegations of sexual misconduct and heavy drinking in regard to Hegseth "alarming," per the New York Times.
• Defender: But the GOP leader of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, defended Hegseth as "unconventional—just like that New York developer who rode down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president," per the Washington Post. Wicker downplayed the accusations of sexual misconduct as coming from "anonymous sources."

• Smear campaign: Hegseth, for his part, accused the "left-wing media" of orchestrating a "coordinated smear campaign" against him, reports Raw Story and ABC News. "And why do they want to destroy me? Because I'm a change agent and a threat to them. Because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower me to bring the Defense Department back to what it really should be, which is war fighting."
• Women in combat: Hegseth's past statements that he opposed women serving in military combat roles also has been a topic. "You will have to change how you see women to do this job well, and I don't know if you are capable of that," said Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, per NBC News. Hegseth said at one point that his comments have been taken out of context, per the Hill. "I would like to clarify," he said. "When I am talking about that issue, it's not about the capabilities of men and women, it's about standards ... standards that we, unfortunately over time, have seen eroded in certain duty positions, certain schools, certain places, which affects readiness." Since his nomination, Hegseth has walked back his flat opposition to women serving in combat roles, notes the Guardian.

(More Pete Hegseth stories.)