Sen Tom Cotton asked Pete Hegseth about the protesters and their views during the hearing
Protesters led out of Hegseth hearing, calling for Gaza accountability
A protester in fatigues and an elderly man are led out of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday after disrupting Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth's testimony.
President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was interrupted by at least three protesters during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
"Veterans are committing suicide and are homeless, but we send money to bomb children in Gaza," one female protester wearing fatigues shouted as she was escorted from the hearing, Fox News Digital video shows.
Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, when he was grilled by lawmakers ahead of a committee vote and final confirmation vote on his nomination as secretary of Defense.
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A female protester wearing fatigues was removed from Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing in the Senate on Tuesday. (Fox Digital )
An elderly man who was handcuffed with zipties was also seen being escorted out of the hearing. Another man, also appearing to wear fatigues, was seen being carried out by Capitol Police.
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A protester is escorted from Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing to serve as secretary of Defense. (Fox Digital )
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has spent his days in recent weeks on Capitol Hill meeting with senators to rally support as he battled allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and mismanaging a veterans nonprofit organization. Hegseth has denied the allegations and vowed that he won't drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed to Trump's Cabinet.
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U.S. Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Hegseth about the protesters during his hearing, including regarding the war in Israel that has been ongoing since 2023.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., questions President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel's war in Gaza. I support Israel's existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well," Cotton said.
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"I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas," Hegseth responded.
US Capitol Police officers remove a demonstrator during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide. I assume that's our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?" Cotton continued.
"Senator, I do not. I think … our troops, as you know, as so many in this committee know, did the best they could with what they had. … And tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn't put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator," Hegseth responded.
