Amid Republican claims of “anonymous smears,” a named person — and a Hegseth, at that — accuses the defense secretary nominee of abusive behavior.

Conservatives erupted Tuesday on social media following an exchange between Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., regarding gender identity.

Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Kent Nishimura)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, faced some tough questions from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Long speculated as a potential GOP holdout, Sen. John Curtis said Wednesday that he supports Donald Trump's embattled defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth.

Senate Democrats are sounding the alarm over a sworn affidavit from the ex-sister-in-law of Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth that accuses him of being abusive toward his second wife. The document emerged Tuesday,

Hegseth, 44, is a combat veteran and former Fox News host. The committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) reaffirmed his pressure on President-elect Trump’s Department of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and said he asked tough questions last week because his Republican colleagues needed to hear the answers.

Critics of Trump's defense secretary nominee say the symbol has been adopted by extremist groups, including white supremacists.

Amid Republican claims of “anonymous smears,” a named person — and a Hegseth, at that — accuses the defense secretary nominee of abusive behavior.

The nominee can only afford to lose three GOP senators if Democrats unite against him so attention could now shift to Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and other potential swing votes.