The next is a transcript of an interview with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Nov. 24, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, of the state of Illinois. She sits on the Armed Companies and Overseas Relations Committees. Good morning to you, Senator.
SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Good morning, thanks for having me on.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, former Congressman Matt Gaetz took himself out of the working this week to develop into Lawyer Common. This was after he had met with senators, and CBS has reported that as many as 15 Republicans opposed him. Does that counsel to you that your Republican colleagues within the Senate will maintain the road, or are you continue to involved they may simply inexperienced gentle anybody Trump nominates?
SEN. DUCKWORTH: Nicely, I am deeply involved that they may inexperienced gentle. I am glad that they held the road on him. I am additionally glad that they voted the best way they did for the Republican chief, however that was within the secret poll once they elected Senator Thune. And you realize, Mr. Trump’s most important selection for that place was not chosen. However from what I am listening to from my Republican colleagues on every little thing from protection secretary to different posts, it appears like they’re able to roll over for Mr. Trump.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, on that time of protection, because you sit on this advisory position on armed providers, I haven’t got to inform you, however for our viewers, there are over 200,000 American ladies who serve in lively responsibility service proper now. Hundreds of them in entrance line fight roles. You had been certainly one of them in 2004 when your Black Hawk helicopter you had been piloting was shot at by an RPG and also you sustained extreme accidents. Here’s what Mr. Trump’s decide for protection secretary stated about ladies serving.
[ PETE HEGSETH SOT ]
PETE HEGSETH: I am straight up simply saying we must always not have ladies in fight roles. It hasn’t made us simpler, hasn’t made us extra deadly, has made preventing extra difficult.
[ END SOT ]
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do your colleagues who sit with you on armed providers consider that Mr. Hegseth’s assertion there is a matter that he must maybe retract?
SEN. DUCKWORTH: Nicely, I feel they should, as a result of he is mistaken. Our navy couldn’t go to struggle with out the 220,000 plus ladies who serve in uniform. The ladies in our navy does make us simpler, does make us extra deadly. And let me simply make one factor clear, the ladies who’re in these very explicit roles, whether or not it is in particular forces or the COs or the infantry, they meet the identical requirements as the lads. And so he is been on the market saying that, you realize, ladies will not be as robust. We do not. Those who’re in these roles have met the identical requirements as the lads and have handed the very rigorous testing. And so he is simply flat out mistaken. Our navy couldn’t go to struggle with out the ladies who put on this uniform. And admittedly, America’s daughters are simply as able to defending liberty and freedom as her sons.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Having served in fight your self, what do you consider the concept ladies make preventing extra difficult? That was particularly what he targeted on.
SEN. DUCKWORTH: Nicely, it simply exhibits his lack of information of the place our navy is. He was a fairly low rating man within the navy, and he by no means had a command place. He was a platoon chief, I feel, a couple of times, however he by no means even commanded an organization. And so this can be a man who’s inordinately, unqualified for the place. Do not forget that the Pentagon is 3 million servicemen and ladies and civilians. It’s over a $900 billion finances. He is by no means, you realize, run something anyplace close to to that measurement. And admittedly, ladies really make our navy simpler. And I’ve personally discovered that I introduced many insights to my job. After I was an organization commander, after I was a logistics officer, that got here from my very own private background, that made issues higher. I took higher care of my males, for instance, in my unit. I used to be usually the one lady in an all male unit, and my gender did not have- wasn’t an issue. I simply tailored, and we proceed to carry out the mission.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The query of character has additionally come up in regard to this management position. Mr. Hegseth has acknowledged that he paid a girl again in 2017 to quiet her accusations of sexual assault. He claims it was consensual intercourse. I am positive you learn that Monterey police report, as we did right here. It refers back to the offense code as, “rape: sufferer unconscious of the character of the act.” It particulars each the accuser’s and Hegseth’s model of occasions. Here is what Senator Markwayne Mullen stated it exhibits: “two folks flirting with one another.” Is the committee going to talk with the sufferer to ask if this was a misunderstanding?
SEN. DUCKWORTH
Nicely, that’s- that would be the determination of the Republican chairman of the committee subsequent yr. I hope that we’ll, however I believe that they, once more, will roll over for Mr. Trump. Frankly, I’ll elevate these questions. Do not forget that we have simply fought over a decade of fights and- and overhauled the navy and its therapy of navy sexual trauma. It is frankly an insult and actually troubling that Mr. Trump would nominate somebody who has admitted that he is paid off a sufferer who has claimed rape allegations in opposition to him. This isn’t the form of particular person you wish to lead the Division of Protection.
MARGARET BRENNAN
This previous week, your committee did evaluate plenty of navy promotions, almost 1000 of them, and one title that appears to have been left off the record, regardless of the Pentagon’s advice, was Lieutenant Common Christopher Donahue. He was- he grew to become often called the final U.S. service particular person to go away Afghanistan again in 2021, a key position there. Sources inform CBS that it’s your Republican senator colleague, Senator Mullen, who stood in the best way of this. I am advised it is out of a need to carry these accountable for Afghanistan. What do you make of this? And is there an opportunity it may transfer?
SEN. DUCKWORTH
Nicely, if he’s totally certified for the transfer and for the promotion, he ought to come earlier than the committee, the entire committee, not one member of the committee, and we must always think about him. Do not forget that I wrote the laws that created the Afghan Conflict Fee. So we are literally present process, proper now, an lively, multi-year evaluate of what occurred in Afghanistan. And that was a bipartisan fee. We handed that regulation in a bipartisan approach, and I hope the committee can be allowed to maneuver ahead with reviewing what occurred to- in Afghanistan. It is, you realize, you are not going to get a full image by holding one particular person’s promotion up. Frankly, he wants to come back earlier than the total committee, and we have to determine, and it is not Markwayne Mullen’s determination whether or not or not one promotion comes earlier than the committee.
MARGARET BRENNAN
Nicely, I ask as a result of there are considerations about whether or not there can be generals held to account by Mr. Trump, as he stated, he thinks others must be fired for Afghanistan. However to maneuver to a vote you took this previous week, you stated you’ve got disgust on the brutal ways utilized by the Netanyahu authorities in Gaza, however you voted in opposition to all three resolutions of disapproval this previous week that may have paused very particular offensive weapons shipments to Israel. Your colleague, Senator Van Hollen, stated, it is nearly getting Israel to adjust to U.S. regulation. How do you reply to that? Why should not they be held to the identical requirements as different recipients of U.S. support?
SEN. DUCKWORTH: Nicely, I respect Senator Van Hollen’s place, and actually, I’ve co-signed most of the letters that he is led that has known as on Israel to adjust to humanitarian requirements internationally. My determination comes from my navy expertise, the truth that many of those rounds weren’t going to be delivered for a few years, the truth that, you realize, these are resolutions, they do not even have binding impact. And admittedly, for me, my determination got here from the truth that we’ve got tens of hundreds of US troops in hurt’s approach proper now, and I’m deeply involved that decision, that does not really do something, may embolden the Houthis and the Iranian regime and Hamas to additional goal and American troops overseas. So I respect Chris. He and I are good mates. We had been freshmen within the Senate collectively, however we come at this from barely completely different angles, mine from 23 years of navy expertise, however I do share his concern concerning the brutal approach that Israel has acted in Gaza, and you realize, I’ve co-signed a lot of his letters.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Our polling exhibits that there’s a need among the many American folks to see Democrats and Republicans work collectively on this future Trump administration. With that in thoughts, I am taking a look at a few of these nominees, together with Trump’s decide for labor secretary, former Congresswoman Lori Chavez DeRemer. She is drawing reward from unions as a result of she is perceived as- as pro- union. Might you see your self supporting her or any of the opposite nominees?
SEN. DUCKWORTH: Completely, I- you realize, what I would want to do is have an opportunity to take a seat down and speak with every certainly one of these nominees, and hearken to them and listen to what they need to say. I feel Congressman Collins, over at VA, he is the nominee for VA, is one other particular person I can speak with. In reality, I labored with him after I was within the Home a number of years again. I’m going to judge every certainly one of these candidates primarily based on their capability to do the job and their willingness to place the wants of the American folks first and never be on a retribution marketing campaign for Mr. Trump. So it is about had been they prepared to be impartial and do the job that they’re being nominated to do, and are they competent and certified for the place?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Duckworth, we recognize your time this morning.
SEN. DUCKWORTH: Thanks
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’ll be proper again with much more “Face the Nation.” Stick with us.
