{"id":2389807,"date":"2025-01-13T17:14:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T22:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/100-vets-supporters-rally-for-hegseths-pentagon-nomination\/"},"modified":"2025-01-13T17:15:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T22:15:13","slug":"100-vets-supporters-rally-for-hegseths-pentagon-nomination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/100-vets-supporters-rally-for-hegseths-pentagon-nomination\/","title":{"rendered":"100 Vets, Supporters Rally For Hegseth&#8217;s Pentagon Nomination"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F100-vets-supporters-rally-for-hegseths-pentagon-nomination%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2389807&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Monday, over 100 former Navy SEALs, military veterans, and supporters convened in\u200d Washington,\u200b D.C. to express their backing for Pete\u2063 Hegseth\u2019s nomination as the next Secretary of Defense. The gathering took place just ahead\u200d of Hegseth\u2019s \u2062confirmation hearing before the senate Armed Services Committee. Supporters,\u200b including former Navy SEAL Bill Brown, emphasized Hegseth&#8217;s dedication and service to the country, dismissing a series of \u2062allegations against him\u2064 as unsubstantiated and driven by a\u200c &#8220;smear campaign&#8221; from media sources. <\/p>\n<p>Former colleagues have disputed these\u2063 claims, wich range\u200d from workplace misconduct \u2064to a sexual\u2064 assault accusation\u2063 that prosecutors declined to prosecute due\u200b to lack of sufficient evidence. Hegseth&#8217;s supporters, \u2063some of whom participated in \u200dcharitable events\u200c like the Navy \u200dSEAL Hudson River\u200b Swims,\u200d praised his patriotism and commitment to veterans&#8217; causes. <\/p>\n<p>During\u200d the press event, sentiments were \u2063echoed by navy SEAL Rob Sweetman and other veterans who asserted that \u200bHegseth \u200cis the right choice for the role, urging unity and respect within the military community. Senator Tommy Tuberville also voiced strong support for Hegseth,emphasizing the need for a return to loyalty and respect \u2063in military academies. The upcoming \u200cconfirmation hearing is expected to be\u2063 challenging, notably with pointed questions from \u200bSenate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, who has already raised \u200dconcerns\u2063 about\u2062 Hegseth&#8217;s previous actions and beliefs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>More than 100 former Navy SEALs, military veterans, and other supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. on Monday to back Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination as the next secretary of defense. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9IVtzXlRDa8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rally<\/a> comes ahead of Hegseth&rsquo;s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These are warfighters. That&rsquo;s who support[s] Pete. That&rsquo;s who&rsquo;s on this podium. These are men and women who put it on the line for our country. And they&rsquo;re telling you the way it is,&rdquo; former Navy SEAL Bill Brown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9IVtzXlRDa8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Monday&rsquo;s presser comes amid a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/04\/100-percent-bullsh-t-fox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbcs-smear-campaign-against-pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unsubstantiated allegations<\/a> of wrongdoing in the workplace leveled against Hegseth by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">alleged anonymous sources leading<\/a> up to Tuesday&rsquo;s confirmation hearing. Laundered by America&rsquo;s corrupt corporate media, some of these claims appear to <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/source-behind-hegseth-claims-is-disgruntled-former-employee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stem from<\/a> a former disgruntled employee. They have also been <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/04\/100-percent-bullsh-t-fox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbcs-smear-campaign-against-pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heavily disputed<\/a> by Hegseth&rsquo;s former <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/12\/04\/us-news\/trustee-denied-8-years-ago-that-defense-secretary-pick-pete-hegseth-was-ousted-from-veterans-group-over-drinking-misconduct\/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">colleagues<\/a> and associates.<\/p>\n<p>A woman also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/21\/the-police-report-about-pete-hegseths-alleged-sexual-assault-vindicates-him-of-criminality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously<\/a>&nbsp;accused Hegseth of sexual assault following a purported 2017 sexual encounter between the two.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Prosecutors declined&nbsp;to press charges due to a lack of &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hegseth-assault-allegations-police-report-trump-e6ebec0a1a5c7fb51cb5e2198f5e12a5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proof beyond a reasonable doubt<\/a>,&rdquo; according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/21\/politics\/pete-hegseth-police-report-defense-secretary-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:&nbsp;[READ:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/21\/the-police-report-about-pete-hegseths-alleged-sexual-assault-vindicates-him-of-criminality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Police Report About Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s Alleged Sexual Assault Vindicates Him Of Criminality<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Several veterans in Monday&rsquo;s gathering are former Navy SEALs who participated in the GI Go Fund&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/gigo.org\/fundraisers\/sealswim#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Navy SEAL Hudson River Swims<\/a>, a charity event involving former SEALs, &ldquo;fellow veterans and military supporters in a swim across the Hudson River to honor our military veterans, their families, and all of those who died during 9\/11 and the wars that followed that fateful day.&rdquo; Hegseth previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6180203194001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">partook<\/a> in the swim during his time as a Fox News host. <\/p>\n<p>Rob Sweetman, a Navy SEAL veteran, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9IVtzXlRDa8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> event attendees that the country and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/100-vets-rally-to-support-hegseths-pentagon-nomination\/\" title=\"100 Vets Rally To Support Hegseth&#039;s Pentagon Nomination\">military service members &#038;ldquo<\/a>;need Pete Hegseth&rdquo; as defense secretary, and lambasted the &ldquo;smear campaign&rdquo; designed to tank his confirmation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Pete&rsquo;s a good dude, we know him personally,&rdquo; Sweetman said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a patriot, he&rsquo;s went down range, he&rsquo;s done the right things, and he&rsquo;s got my vote.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Kenny Bigbee Jr., a Navy SEAL veteran and fellow participant in the Hudson River Swims, said &ldquo;the only way to transcend politics is [through] service and sacrifice with your life for our inalienable rights,&rdquo; and noted that Hegseth has fulfilled that obligation throughout his career.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Pete Hegseth showed up and showed out to show his patriotism, domestically, to represent our people and to give our best to our vets,&rdquo; Bigbee said, referring to Hegseth&rsquo;s participation in the Hudson River Swim. &ldquo;Pete Hegseth has served and proven to serve and sacrifice with his life for our inalienable rights.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Marine Corps veteran Jessica Quezada blasted the media&rsquo;s smear campaign against Hegseth<strong> <\/strong>and said, &ldquo;If you want to see a representation of who he is &hellip; look at the caliber of individuals standing behind a man [they] know &hellip; is gonna do good&rdquo; in his role as defense secretary.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are so frustrated and angry by what has come undone by the current administration,&rdquo; Quezada said. &ldquo;I am a woman [and] a Marine Corps veteran who is in support of a man that is gonna represent every single person in the uniform, regardless of their gender, regardless of their color &hellip; .&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Monday&rsquo;s presser also featured comments from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S-NBhzpYAHs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remarks<\/a>, the Cotton State&rsquo;s senior senator <a href=\"https:\/\/1819news.com\/news\/item\/tuberville-fully-supports-trumps-defense-secretary-pick-hegseth-other-cabinet-nominations-we-need-to-start-cleaning-the-pentagon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reaffirmed<\/a> he is &ldquo;110 percent&rdquo; behind Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination and pledged to help &ldquo;get him across the finish line.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need to straighten our military academies out. We need to get back to everyday respect and loyalty and belief in this country with our military, and it all starts with Pete Hegseth,&rdquo; Tuberville said.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/03\/pete-hegseths-battle-scars-are-his-strength\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s&nbsp;Battle Scars Are His Strength<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hegseth is expected to face hostile questioning from the Senate Armed Service Committee&rsquo;s Democrat members during Tuesday&rsquo;s hearing. <\/p>\n<p>Last week, for example, committee member and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warren.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/warren-lays-out-detailed-list-of-concerns-questions-in-advance-of-senate-armed-services-committee-hearing-on-defense-secretary-nominee-pete-hegseth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> a 33-page letter containing dishonestly framed and accusatory statements and questions about Hegseth&rsquo;s beliefs and history. This included an apparent smear of Hegseth&rsquo;s Christian faith.<\/p>\n<p>The Massachusetts Democrat noted how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/hegseth-insider-threat-biden-inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">during<\/a> his time in the Army National Guard, Hegseth was &ldquo;removed from President Biden&rsquo;s inauguration&rdquo; after a fellow D.C. Guard member <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/18\/media-lie-about-pete-hegseths-christian-faith-to-falsely-smear-him-as-racist\/\">flag<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/18\/media-lie-about-pete-hegseths-christian-faith-to-falsely-smear-him-as-racist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">g<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/18\/media-lie-about-pete-hegseths-christian-faith-to-falsely-smear-him-as-racist\/\">ed<\/a> him as a potential &ldquo;insider threat.&rdquo; The Guard member pegged his alleged concerns on Hegseth&rsquo;s &ldquo;Deus Vult&rdquo; tattoo &mdash; which is Latin for &ldquo;God wills it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Quoting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/how-trumps-pentagon-pick-hegseth-fell-out-love-with-us-military-2024-11-15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reuters article<\/a> in her letter, Warren <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warren.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/letter_to_mrpetehegseth.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> the tattoo &ldquo;was a Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crazy-twist-hegseth-haters-humiliated-when-jimmy-carters-funeral-proves-hes-not-an-extremist\/\" title=\"Crazy Twist: Hegseth-Haters Humiliated When Jimmy Carter&#039;s Funeral Proves He&#039;s Not an &#039;Extremist&#039;\">fellow servicemembers feel concerned<\/a> enough about to report as a potential insider threat,&rdquo; Warren wrote. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/13\/pete-hegseth-is-the-perfect-candidate-to-gut-the-pentagons-bureaucratic-rot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pete Hegseth Is The Perfect Candidate To Gut The Pentagon&rsquo;s Bureaucratic Rot<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not just Senate Democrats who could potentially stall Hegseth&rsquo;s confirmation, however. <\/p>\n<p>Last month, multiple Trump world sources <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/04\/trump-world-sources-joni-ernst-is-waging-aggressive-personal-jihad-against-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Federalist that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was waging an &ldquo;aggressive&rdquo; personal jihad to derail Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination. This included reports that<strong> <\/strong>Ernst &mdash; a member of the Armed Services Committee &mdash; made several phone calls to Trump to urge him to dump Hegseth as defense secretary and enlisted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to lobby the incoming president to replace Hegseth with Ernst.<\/p>\n<p>Both Republicans seemingly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/09\/i-support-pete-ernst-changes-tune-following-second-hegseth-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">changed<\/a> their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2024\/12\/11\/petes-hegseth-turned-confirmation-fight-around-seven-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tunes<\/a> on Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination following The Federalist&rsquo;s reporting on their behind-the-scenes antics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/06\/republicans-would-be-stupid-not-to-confirm-pete-hegseth-as-secretary-of-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republicans Would Be Stupid Not To Confirm Pete Hegseth As Secretary Of Defense<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/13\/gop-sen-todd-young-invites-a-primary-challenge-by-refusing-to-back-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refused<\/a> to commit to supporting Hegseth&rsquo;s confirmation when pressed by The Federalist on his position last month, while Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. &mdash; who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2024\/12\/04\/exclusive-tillis-backs-bondi-for-ag-patel-for-fbi-will-vote-for-hegseth-and-all-trump-nominees-on-floor-if-reported-favorably-out-of-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledged<\/a> to back Hegseth and other Trump nominees &mdash; issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/16\/if-sen-thom-tillis-sabotages-trumps-cabinet-picks-voters-should-fire-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">veiled threat<\/a> to conservative voters that continued pressure to confirm Trump&rsquo;s picks could prompt Republicans to side with Democrats in tanking their nominations.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article has been updated since publication.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over 100 former Navy SEALs and veterans rallied in D.C. to support Pete Hegseth&#8217;s defense secretary nomination ahead of his Senate hearing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2389808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rob-Sweetman.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[9134,3761,4873],"class_list":["post-2389807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-nomination","tag-pentagon","tag-veterans"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rob-Sweetman.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2389807"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2389811,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389807\/revisions\/2389811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2389808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2389807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2389807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2389807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}