Since leaving CNN and landing a job at NewsNation, Chris Cuomo seems to have become more open to opinions outside of his former employer’s far-left echo chamber.
Nevertheless, it can still be surprising to hear him criticize a prominent Democrat, particularly when doing so implicitly defends one of President Donald Trump’s most notable nominees.
Pete Hegseth, whom Trump picked to lead the Pentagon, appeared before lawmakers this week and fielded a series of loaded questions and personal attacks. One such line of questioning from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) was even too much for Cuomo.
According to the Daily Wire:
Cuomo recapped parts of Hegseth’s televised hearing before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, and he argued that Kaine’s single-minded focus on Hegseth’s prior marital troubles had swung wide of the mark.
Although Cuomo was harshest on Kaine, he was critical of several of the senators who had questioned Hegseth during the sometimes-contentious hearing that had taken place earlier that day.
“My opinion is we saw the enemy today at Pete Hegseth’s Armed Services Committee hearing, and it’s us. Not you, but the toxic game of division played by the people who we put in power,” he began.
“What questions would you have for a potential secretary of defense?” Cuomo asked then, offering his own suggestions: “What are you going to do about China, Russia, terror, Pentagon size, drones?”
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Plenty of social media commenters had criticism of their own regarding the treatment Trump nominees received from Senate Democrats:
JUST IN:
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) TORCHES EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT Senator who are making a mockery with their hypocrisy of this confirmation hearing!
BRAVO SIR! pic.twitter.com/EIytFPM7X3
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) January 14, 2025
PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMATION HEARING,
Sen Hazy Hirono "Will you resign as the Secretary of Defense if you drink on the Job?”
Meanwhile Nancy Drunk Pelosi opens up a liquor store in the House where Members can buy alcohol with their taxpayer-funded Members Representational… pic.twitter.com/aymWHHt747
— 🇺🇸RealRobert🇺🇸 (@Real_RobN) January 14, 2025
All of Trump’s noms are thoroughly embarrassing Democrats during their confirmation hearings.
Today was was no different with Scott Bessent. Here he destroys Bernie Sanders 🤣pic.twitter.com/ocCaiscVmn
— Spitfire (@DogRightGirl) January 16, 2025
Fox News also covered the particularly personal allegations and insults Kaine directed at Hegseth:
The two continued to go back and forth on the veracity of the claims against Hegseth, with Kaine pressing the nominee on whether he honored his wedding vow.
“I will allow your words to speak for themselves,” Hegseth said at one point.
“As I’ve acknowledged to everyone in this committee, I’m not a perfect person. I’m not claiming to be,” Hegseth said before being cut off by Kaine, who went on to accuse Hegseth of withholding information about the accusation when being vetted by the Trump team.
Kaine ultimately moved on to questioning Hegseth about his relationship with drinking and other allegations that Hegseth has dismissed as “false.”
Conservatives on social media, along with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., at another point in the hearing, took issue with Kaine’s line of questioning, particularly invoking Hegseth’s daughter.
ADVERTISEMENT“Senator Tim Kaine really did try to use Pete Hegseth’s 7 year old daughter against him, despicable,” conservative commentator Drew Hernandez posted on X.
Here’s all of what Cuomo had to say about the hearing:
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