Pete Hegseth Slams ‘Coordinated Smear Campaign’ by ‘Liberal Media’ at Confirmation Hearing

During his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth accused the “liberal media” of orchestrating a “coordinated smear campaign” against him, echoing his defense of President Donald Trump’s experiences with media scrutiny.

“What became very evident to us from the beginning was that there was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us that was clear from moment one,” Hegseth said in his opening remarks, to the New York Post.

Hegseth suggested that much of the media’s focus on him stemmed from broader attacks on Trump. “What we knew is that it wasn’t about me. Most of it was about President Donald Trump, who had to endure the very same thing for much longer, and he endured it in incredibly strong ways. So we, in some ways, knew it was coming.”

The nominee expressed dismay at the intensity of the negative coverage, adding, “We didn’t understand the depth of the dishonesty that would come with it.”

Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive alcohol use, and financial mismanagement, which have been the subject of numerous media reports. He dismissed these reports, emphasizing their reliance on unnamed sources.

“So, from story after story in the media, left-wing media, we saw anonymous source after anonymous source based on second- or third-hand accounts,” Hegseth argued.

He went on to claim that credible voices defending his character were ignored by reporters. “Time and time again, stories would come out and people would reach out to me and say, ‘You know, I’ve spoken to this reporter about who you really are, and I was willing to go on the record, but they didn’t print my quote.’”

Hegseth criticized this approach, asserting, “Instead, a small handful of anonymous sources were allowed to drive a smear campaign, an agenda about me because our left-wing media in America today sadly doesn’t care about the truth.”

The hearing highlighted Hegseth’s strong alignment with Trump and his combative stance against what he views as media bias. His remarks underscored the contentious nature of his nomination and the broader partisan divide surrounding his potential confirmation.