Earlier this year, during Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, three liberal protesters interrupted the proceedings to such a degree that they were hauled out of the meeting by police officers. The protesters were upset by the federal government’s continued support of Israel against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
One of the female protesters, sporting fatigues, disrupted the hearing by shouting, “Veterans are committing suicide and are homeless, but we send money to bomb children in Gaza.” She was promptly escorted out of the hearing by police. Hegseth was making a passionate speech before the Senate Armed Services Committee as he was questioned by lawmakers ahead of their vote on his confirmation.
Another protester, an elderly man, was cuffed with zipties and ushered out of the hearing as well. A third individual, also male and wearing fatigues, was carried out by Capitol Police. Hegseth, a former contributor for Fox News and member of the military, had spent a number of days on Capitol Hill meeting with senators to garner support for his confirmation.
During that time, Hegseth faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and mismanaging a veterans nonprofit organization. He flatly denied all the accusations brought against him and promised that should he be confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet, he would not drink “a drop of alcohol” during his tenure.
According to Fox News, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark) asked Hegseth about the protesters during the confirmation hearing, which included questions concerning the war raging between Israel and Hamas that had, at that time, been going on since 2023. The conflict started when Hamas invaded Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
“Another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel’s war in Gaza. I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well,” Cotton stated during the hearing.
“I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas,” Hegseth replied unapologetically. Cotton then followed up by asking, “And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide. I assume that’s our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?”
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“Senator, I do not. I think… our troops, as you know, as so many in this committee know, did the best they could with what they had.… And tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn’t put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator,” Hegseth answered.
President Donald Trump secured a peace deal between Hamas and Israel in October 2025 that brought the conflict to a halt, succeeding where the previous administration failed. Hegseth served as a member of the U.S. Army National Guard where he was commissioned as an infantry officer before graduating from Princeton in 2003. He was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and then Afghanistan, finishing his career as a major. He also earned several honors including the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Featured image: screenshot from embedded video