“Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough defended the U.S. military against the notions floated at Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing that the institution is “weak and woke.”
“This insult that somehow our military is weak and woke is just an outrageous lie and an insult to our men and women in uniform,” Scarborough said.
The co-host said that the U.S. military is more powerful now than it has been in 25 years, noting that American troops have helped Ukraine fight Russia (“the second most powerful military in the world”) without losing a single American soldier.
“This idea Republicans that we need somebody with dust on their boots in this position and the suggestion that we haven’t had people with dust on their boots in this position is willfully ignorant,” he added.
Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, was a former Fox News weekend anchor and a combat service veteran. In his opening statements at his hearing yesterday he said he will be a “change agent” and a “warrior” in the Pentagon.
Democrats at the confirmation hearing were critical of his lack of leadership experience, his stane on women in combat roles and allegations of sexual misconduct.
“There’s so much that was said yesterday it would literally take us four hours just to get through the misinformation that was put out there,” Scarborough said before introducing his first guest.
Watch the full exchange here:
Democratic senators grilled Hegseth at his Tuesday hearing as he skirted questions about sexual misconduct allegations and reports of excessive drinking on the job.
“I’m not a perfect person but redemption is real,” Hegseth said.
