Hegseth claims "smear campaign" as Dems question his fitness to lead Pentagon

• Hegseth, 44, has been accused of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement of a nonprofit since Trump nominated him. He has denied the accusations.
• Some national security officials have expressed concerns that the U.S. Army veteran doesn't have enough experience to run the Department of Defense.

The other side: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) asked: "How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? ... Don't tell me you haven't seen it, because I know you have."

• The audience, packed with military veterans and other Hegseth supporters, cheered. Some Democratic senators averted their gazes.

Driving the news: Hegseth's highly anticipated confirmation hearing, which lasted over four hours, began with him promising to be a "change agent" for the Department of Defense.

• Before Hegseth spoke to the committee, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) decried the "anonymous sources" behind the allegations that have hounded Hegseth, contrasting them with public pronouncements of support from his colleagues.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs in combat, questioned Hegseth's qualifications in a contentious back-and-forth in which he could not name the number of nations or members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

• "I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations," Hegseth said, adding, "but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS, with Australia, trying to work on submarines."
• Duckworth replied: "None of those three countries that you mentioned are in ASEAN. I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

Asked by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) about his past characterization of NATO as "a relic" that should be "scrapped and remade," Hegseth claimed the country's allies have had "no better friend" than Trump.

• He didn't answer about his own past comments about the alliance.
• Rosen pressed Hegseth on whether Trump has a plan to rapidly end the years-long war in Ukraine as the president-elect has claimed he will do, to which Hegseth replied, "I will always give clear guidance ... best guidance to the president ... on matters like that."

During a heated exchange, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) refuted Hegseth's characterization that all the allegations against him were spurred by anonymous sources.

• "They are not anonymous. We have seen more records with names attached to them," Kaine said.
• Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said he doesn't believe Hegseth is "qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job," citing the "extremely alarming" allegations and some of Hegseth's views, including on women serving in the military.
• Reed implored the committee to make the FBI's background check available to all committee members, but Wicker rebuffed his request.

Questioned by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) about his previous derisive comments about women serving in combat roles, Hegseth maintained that he appreciated women's contributions to the military.

• "It's not about the capabilities of men and women. It's about standards," he said.
• Hegseth refused to rule out carrying out an order from Trump to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal — notions the president-elect has floated in recent weeks — when quizzed by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

State of play: In his opening statement, Hegseth vowed to "restore the warrior ethos" at the Pentagon.

• "It is true that I don't have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years," Hegseth said, before positioning himself as a "change agent."
• "But, as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly 'the right credentials' — whether they are retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?" Hegseth said in his opening statement.
• A protester interrupted Hegseth's opening statement to call him a misogynist. That protester was one of several removed from the hearing.

Flashback: Trump defended Hegseth as the criticism mounted last year — though after a prolonged silence and news of his backup nominee leaked.

Between the lines: Hegseth's FBI background check became a point of contention ahead of the hearing.

• Just one Senate Democrat — Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) — has been briefed on the findings.
• The Trump transition team opposes sharing it, Axios' Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam report.
• Democrats had pushed for the findings to be accessible by the full Senate before the hearing, given the allegations against Hegseth.

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Editor's note: This story was updated with developments from the hearing.