Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, appeared on course to win confirmation after a half-day Senate hearing, even after he was hit with hard questions from Democrats over alleged character flaws.
Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including its chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, rallied around Hegseth, who dismissed accusations of past alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement of veterans groups that he led as “anonymous smears.”
Endorsing Hegseth, who’s never led a large organization, as an “unconventional” nominee, Wicker asked, “Has the civilian leadership of the Pentagon under the administration of ...
