The Senate hearing for Pete Hegseth was a farce, raising concerns about his qualifications and character.

Washington, D.C.: Oh man, what a mess! The Senate kicked off confirmation hearings for Trump’s Cabinet, starting with Pete Hegseth for defense secretary. It was a four-hour show that felt like a total waste of time.
Honestly, Hegseth seems totally unqualified to manage a huge department with millions of people and a massive budget. He doesn’t have the experience needed for such a big role.
Plus, there are serious questions about his character. He’s been accused of drinking on the job and even sexual assault, which he denies. He’s also admitted to cheating on his wife. You’d think character would matter, especially for someone in charge of national security.
The hearing was supposed to dig into these issues, but instead, it turned into a show for senators who didn’t seem to care about the real questions. Republicans didn’t ask him anything tough, which is pretty telling.
It was just as much the GOP’s job to check Hegseth’s qualifications as it was for the Democrats, but they mostly just flattered him and took shots at the left.
One Republican senator even agreed with a Democrat who said Hegseth wouldn’t get hired as a CEO. He then went on to throw Congress under the bus, saying many senators aren’t qualified either. It was a bizarre moment!
He also tried to excuse Hegseth’s drinking and infidelity by pointing out that many senators have done the same. So, the GOP’s argument seems to be, “Let’s just fill the place with more drunks and cheaters.”
Meanwhile, the Democrats didn’t do much better. They seemed more focused on embarrassing Hegseth than actually questioning him about important issues. He just dodged their questions and filibustered his way through.
While everyone was busy talking about quotas in the military, hardly anyone asked about real policy issues. Where were the questions about Syria or Iran? It was frustrating to watch.
Even Mark Cuban chimed in, saying the Democrats needed to ask tougher questions to prove Hegseth’s incompetence. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger also thought the Democrats dropped the ball.
It’s clear the system is broken. Republicans didn’t do their job, and Democrats flubbed theirs. Hegseth is likely to get confirmed without any real scrutiny.
At this point, it feels like we’re just lowering our standards. If character and qualifications don’t matter anymore, what does?
S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.
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