Donald Trump’s controversial nominee could soon be confirmed by Republicans to lead the Department of Defense.

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled the proposed defense secretary over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asking him if he could name one member and how many countries were in the bloc.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth told Pete Hegseth he was "wholly unprepared" to be confirmed as defense secretary: "You're not qualified, Mr. Hegseth, you're not qualified."

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Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, was questioned about ASEAN during a heated Senate confirmation and struggled with his response.

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Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth warned that in addition to being radically unqualified, Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, might potentially be “vulnerable to blackmail.”

Both U.S. senators representing Illinois slammed the confirmation of Pete Hegseth to be the new defense secretary.

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, born in Bangkok to a Thai mother and an American father, posed the question to Pete Hegseth.

BANGKOK — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, grilling President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary over whether he had the “breadth and depth of knowledge” needed to lead international ...

Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he couldn’t tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia.”

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, grilling President-elect Donald Trump's choice for defense secretary over whether he had the "breadth and depth of knowledge" needed to lead international ...