WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement after voting against advancing the confirmation of President Trump's controversial and unqualified nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

"Pete Hegseth's dishonorable record of sexual assault and domestic violence, drunk and disorderly conduct in public, racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+ remarks, disregard for the laws of war, and financial mismanagement of the small veterans organizations he once oversaw would disqualify him from leading any organization — let alone the Pentagon.

"This nominee's embrace of torture tactics and disdain for the principles outlined in the Geneva Conventions and enshrined in U.S. law is also extremely alarming. As I wrote in the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on torture in 2014, 'torture doesn't work.' It undermines our nation's credibility on human rights, produces uneven and often questionable information, and wastes millions of taxpayer dollars. It is wrong in every sense of the word, and I will not support any nominee who even entertains going down that path again.

"This nominee's confirmation represents an alarming abdication of the Senate's constitutional duty of advice and consent. President Trump and my Republican colleagues are handing the keys to the Pentagon to this unqualified and unstable person, jeopardizing our national security and making us all less safe."