Pete Hegseth says his comments on women in the military have been ‘misconstrued’ – vows to be ‘secretary for all our warriors’

Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth on Monday insisted his comments about women in the military have been “misunderstood” and vowed to be “Secretary for all warriors.”

The 44-year-old Army veteran told Fox News host Sean Hannity: “I also want to take this opportunity to clarify my misunderstood comment, which is that I don't support women in the military.'' ” he said.

“Some of our nation's greatest warriors, some of the world's greatest warriors, are women,” Hegseth said, noting that military women protect the country “every day around the world.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth said, “I look forward to serving as secretary to all our warriors, men and women, as we celebrate the incredible contributions they make to our military.”

Hegseth appeared on the Sean Ryan Show podcast on Nov. 7, days before she was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Pentagon, and argued that women should not serve in combat roles.

“I want to be very frank and say that women should not be in combat roles,” he said on the podcast. “It didn't make us more efficient. It didn't make us more lethal. It made the fight more complicated.”

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), an Army veteran herself, said over the weekend that she wanted to hear more from Hegseth about her views on women in combat before supporting her nomination.

The two men met for at least the second time on Monday at the Capitol, in what Hegseth described as a “great meeting.”

“People don't really know about this. I've known Sen. Ernst for over 10 years,” Hegseth told Hannity. “I have known her since she was running for the state Senate as the first female VA candidate, and we supported her in that effort and continue to support her today.”

Mr. Trump's picks to lead the Pentagon indicate that he relishes the opportunity to discuss important Pentagon issues with senators like Ernst through an advice-and-consent process.

“The fact that she is willing to support me through this process means a lot,” Hegseth said of Ernst.

Ernst, 54, on Monday described his discussions with Hegseth as “encouraging” and similarly expressed his frustration with anonymous sources attacking his personal history.

“I appreciate Pete Hegseth's response and respect for the process,” Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I will support Pete throughout this process and look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

Mr. Hegseth told Mr. Hannity that he was “looking forward” to having the FBI conduct a background check as part of the confirmation process. That's because he believes the allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 will be dispelled.

Hegseth's lawyer admitted last month that he paid an undisclosed amount to the woman who accused him of sexual assault, but Hegseth maintains the meeting was consensual.

“Years ago, at that time, it was thoroughly investigated and I was completely exonerated,” Hegseth told Hannity. “So, Sean, you know what I'm looking forward to? I'm looking forward to the FBI background check. I'm looking forward to actually talking under oath with the senators as we move through the process. Yes, because this is what the left does, Sean – it’s the anatomy of a slur.”

Hegseth said several more meetings are scheduled at the Capitol this week, including one with moderate Republicans key to his confirmation.

“What we're about to meet is [Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)] Wednesday and [Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)] he said on Tuesday.

If all Democrats vote against his confirmation, Hegseth would only lose three Republican votes, otherwise his nomination would be sunk.