Jennifer Rubin: ‘Shameful’ for Joni Ernst to ‘Bend the Knee’ and Support Hegseth

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
COLEMAN: “I want to start with you, Jen. And listen to what Pete Hegseth walked back has been on women in the military from November until now.”

[Clip starts]

Hegseth: “We should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated. I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don’t support women in the military. Some our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women.”

[Clip ends]

COLEMAN: “Interesting things about this is because one of the biggest question marks in whether Hegseth will be confirmed is senator joanie ernst, who is the first female combat veteran to be elected to the Senate. How do you anticipate this strategy of trying to sort of milk the judiciary first or put pressure on other holdouts is going to play out?”

RUBIN: “He didn’t say that he supported women in combat. He only said he supported women in the military. So he really hasn’t entirely walked back his comment. And it is frankly shameful as well as unsurprising that Joni Ernst, who was a military veteran, who has been a victim of sexual assault, would bend the knee and accept such an unfit, unqualified character. Not only is he a conspiratorial nut, not only has he said bizarre and inappropriate things about women in the military, gays in the military, he is utterly unqualified for this. He has no strategic, no diplomatic background. He has never run an organization of this size. There are serious allegations about alcoholism, about infidelity, both of which would be disqualifying for an officer in the military. It is an absurd pick. And it is emblematic of the depths to which the Republican Party has fallen that no one, not even Joni Ernst has the nerve to oppose such an outrageous pick. So I’m not surprised anymore. I’m mildly disappointed. But frankly, anyone, including Mitch McConnell who now has taken upon himself the role of fighting America first, who votes to confirm this guy, is going to be responsible for the consequences. And those consequences could include a military disaster. A lack of preparedness, a—“