WATCH: Senator Hirono asks Hegseth whether he'd follow unlawful orders from Trump - PBS NewsHour

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Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, questioned Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in a confirmation hearing Tuesday held by the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

Hirono asked Hegseth about allegations of excessive drinking on the job. She also questioned him on taking over Greenland, as President-elect Donald Trump has suggested, and whether he would follow unlawful orders from Trump, including shooting protestors .

Hegseth did not directly answer the questions about the incoming commander-in-chief. "Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand, and so I would never in this public forum give one way or another what orders the president gives to me in any context," Hegseth said.

Hegseth is a military veteran and conservative media personality. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, and been criticized as a nominee for his controversial views on diversity and religion in the military. - Aired on 01/14/2025.