Hegseth failed to show he was prepared for role, McConnell says explaining no votepublished at 03:25 Greenwich Mean Time
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has just issued a statement explaining why he voted against Hegseth as the next US defence secretary.
It was a notable break from Trump for the Republican, who was the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history before taking a step back this year.
McConnell issued a blistering critique of Hegseth, saying he is unprepared to lead a department of three million people while managing a huge budget and co-ordinating with allies around the world.
“Mr Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will
pass this test,” he says.
“The United States faces coordinated aggression from
adversaries bent on shattering the order underpinning American security and
prosperity,” McConnell adds.
“In public comments and testimony before the Armed Services
Committee, Mr Hegseth did not reckon with this reality.”
He adds that in his testimony to the Senate, he didn’t acknowledge a plan on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack – or if the US should even step in if such an attack were to occur.
“He failed, for that matter, to articulate in any detail a strategic vision for
dealing with,” with China, McConnell says.
Using a phrased coined by Hegseth, a former Fox News host and author, McConnell says: “The
restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture
warriors for another.”
He ends by wishing “Secretary
Hegseth great success”.
