During Tuesday’s Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) confronted Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, accusing him of prioritizing loyalty to President-elect Donald Trump over his obligation to the U.S. Constitution.
Slotkin opened by emphasizing the critical role of the Secretary of Defense in ensuring the military remains apolitical and adheres to constitutional principles. “No president has the right to use the uniform military in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution and further taints the military as that apolitical institution that we all want,” she stated to AP News.
She posed a direct question to Hegseth: “Do you agree that there are some orders that can be given by the commander-in-chief that would violate the U.S. Constitution?” Hegseth replied, “I reject the premise that President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders.”
Slotkin pressed further, asking if he would “stand in the breach and push back” against illegal orders. Hegseth repeated his rejection of the premise, prompting Slotkin to interject, “I understand. You’ve done your genuflecting to him. This isn’t a hypothetical, OK?”
Slotkin referenced actions during Trump’s previous administration, including the use of uniformed military personnel to clear unarmed protesters and the controversial use of helicopters for crowd control in Washington, D.C. “Your predecessor in a Trump administration, Secretary Esper, was asked and did use uniformed military to clear unarmed protesters,” she said.
“He was given the order to potentially shoot at them. He later apologized publicly for those actions. Was he right or wrong to apologize?” Hegseth dodged the question, stating, “I’m not going to put words in the mouth of Secretary Esper or anybody else from this podium.”
“What are you scared of?” Slotkin asked pointedly.
“I’m not scared of anything, Senator,” Hegseth responded.
Slotkin pushed him to give a definitive answer: “Then say yes or no. You can say no.”
Hegseth ultimately replied, “I’m interested in upholding the laws and the Constitution in any particular scenario.”
Slotkin’s line of questioning underscored concerns about Hegseth’s readiness to prioritize constitutional principles over political loyalty, a critical issue for lawmakers evaluating his fitness to lead the Department of Defense.