Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, became the first of the president-elect’s Cabinet secretary nominees to face a public grilling from senators Tuesday in a fiery confirmation hearing. 

Hegseth has been wrapped in controversy since Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon in his second administration, and the former Army infantry officer and Fox News weekend co-host has spent weeks on Capitol Hill looking to shore up enough support from Republican senators to be confirmed to the influential post. 

The 44-year-old’s appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday featured several interruptions from protesters and touched on topics ranging from sexual assault allegations, contentious comments about women in combat, questions of financial mismanagement and more. 

The committee, made up of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, is charged with deciding whether to send the president-elect’s Defense Department chief nominee to the full Senate for a vote. 

Hegseth used his time in front of the panel to argue his only “special interest” in the role would be U.S. troops. He said he would be laser focused on lethality, meritocracy, war fighting, accountability and readiness with the goal of deterring wars and winning ones the United States is called upon to enter. 

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the committee, introduced Hegseth as someone who would “inject a warrior ethos into the Pentagon – a spirit that can cascade from the top down.” 

Hegseth said Trump himself charged him with bringing the “warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.” 

The combat veteran and his allies presented him as a potential Pentagon chief who would be a needed change of pace from those historically tapped to head the 3 million-member department responsible for ensuring the readiness of the U.S. military. 

“It’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm,” Hegseth said.

Wicker referred to him as an “unconventional” pick, making the case that Trump himself could be called the same thing when he “rode down the escalator in 2015” to announce his candidacy for president. 

“That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice to improve this unacceptable status quo,” Wicker said. 

While Hegseth and Republicans pushed back on allegations against the defense secretary nominee — with Wicker stressing “the vast majority” are coming from anonymous sources and Hegseth arguing there was a “coordinated smear campaign” in the media against him — they also leaned into the notion the he is a changed man. 

“I’m not a perfect person, as has been acknowledged – saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny,” Hegseth said, referring to his wife. 

Since the announcement of his nomination to fill the powerful Pentagon role, Hegseth has been embroiled in controversy, including over reported incidents of drunkenness, an allegation of sexual assault, concerns over financial mismanagement, and his views on on women and LGBTQ people in combat. 

The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., kicked off the pushback against Hegseth stating bluntly that he did not believe the former TV host was "qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job,” he said. 

In a combative exchange, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called Hegseth’s comments on women serving in the military — which include him saying that females should “straight up” not be in combat roles — “mean,” “hurtful,” and “terrible.” 

"You will have to change how you see women to do this job well, and I don't know if you are capable of that," Gillibrand said. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., meanwhile, honed in on the sexual assault allegation against Hegseth, who continuously emphasized that he was “cleared” in the situation. 

"So you think you were completely cleared because you committed no crime? That's your definition of cleared?" Kaine asked. "You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife."

He also questioned Hegseth on if he would have a hard time upholding the oath of office given his past infidelity. 

Hegseth did not give clear answers on multiple questions posed by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, including on whether he would execute a theoretical order from Trump to take Greenland by force — something Trump would not rule out recently — or resign from the top Pentagon job if he were caught drinking. (Hegseth has committed to not consume alcohol if confirmed, given concerns over past allegations.) 

Meanwhile, multiple Democratic senators also criticized Hegseth for not meeting with Democratic senators on the committee ahead of the hearing. The nominee only met with Reed, the ranking member of the panel. 

Questions from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a female military veteran whose level of support for Hegseth has been closely watched, appeared less skeptical. She opened her time by referring to a positive letter about him.

Ernst announced in a stratement after the hearing that she will vote for Hegseth.