Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Sen. Reed questions Hegseth about support for convicted war criminals
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January 14, 2025
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January 14, 2025
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2:25Now PlayingSen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., questioned defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth about presidential pardons for U.S. military members who had been convicted of war crimes.
"You've been instrumental in securing pardons for several convicted war criminals,” Reed told the Trump nominee during his confirmation hearing Tuesday. Reed said that in some of these cases, the pardons were not supported by fellow soldiers who served with the convicted servicepersons.
Hegseth said that he believed in the laws of war, the Geneva Conventions and obeying military rules, but that "restrictive rules of engagement" had made it too difficult for U.S. soldiers in battle.
“I'm talking about restrictive rules of engagement that these men and women behind me understand, they've lived with on the battlefield, which has made it more difficult to defeat our enemies,” Hegseth said.
The Trump nominee suggested that the soldiers convicted were victims of withheld evidence or “prosecutorial misconduct.”
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.
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