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Gillibrand is concerned about Trump's pick for defense secretary

Jacquelyn Martin
/
AP

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is concerned about President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army veteran, as Secretary of Defense.

She believes Hegseth does not have the experience for the job.

Gillibrand is also concerned about opinions on women in combat contained in a book by Trump’s nominee to head the Pentagon.

“I understand that he authored a book about many issues, but he covered quite a lot about women in the military, and from what I understand, some of his statements were derogatory,” Gillibrand said, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has championed women serving in the military.

“We know that women who serve in our military are as lethal as any other fighter. And they are trained to protect this country. And I would not denigrate such service,” she said.

Gillibrand said she would reserve judgment on Hegseth until she could meet with him and ask him questions.

Several U.S. military combat positions have been open to women since 2016. According to the Pentagon, more than 17% of the active duty force were women in 2022.

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year.