GOP senator flips script to Dems for ‘hypocritical’ grilling of Hegseth: ‘So ridiculous’

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., called Democratic senators’ questioning of Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth “hypocritical” during his confirmation hearing.

Hegseth, whom President-elect Trump nominated to lead the Pentagon under his incoming administration, faced a series of intense questions from Democratic senators on the Defense Committee during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

“I think it’s so hypocritical of senators, especially on the other side, to talk about his qualifications,” Mullin said of his Democratic colleagues before starting his round of questions for Hegseth. “And yet your qualifications are no better.”

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Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, speaks during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, DC, U.S., Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Al Drago)

The Oklahoma Republican then pointed to Democrats questioning Hegseth about allegations, which he has denied, that the defense candidate showed up to work drunk.

Mullin hit back at the allegations about Hegseth’s character, charging that elected members of the Senate had previously turned up drunk to cast votes.

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“Senator Kaine, or I guess I’d rather use the senator from Virginia, is starting to bring up the fact, what if you showed up drunk to your job? How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?” Mullin charged, eliciting some audible laughter from individuals in the room. “Have any of you asked them to step down and quit their jobs? And don’t tell me you haven’t seen it because I know you have.”

The senator continued to call on Democratic members as Hegseth went through his third hour of questioning.

Pete Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Allison Robert)

“And how many senators do you know who got a divorce for cheating on their wives? Have you asked them to resign? No,” Mullin said. “You guys make a big show of pointing out the hypocrisy because a man has made a mistake and you’re going to sit there and say he’s not qualified. Give me a joke. It’s so ridiculous that you hold yourselves to this higher standard You forget that you have a big plank in your eye.”

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Before beginning his questioning, Mullin thanked Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, for “loving him through that mistake.”

“The only reason I’m here and not in jail is because my wife loved me too. I’ve changed, but I’m not perfect,” he said.