'You degrade them!' Dem senator upbraids Pete Hegseth to his face for women comments

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) unloaded on defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth for his remarks about women serving in combat.

At Tuesday's Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Gillibrand noted that Hegseth had "denigrated" women in the military.

"I have many concerns about your record and particularly your public statements because they are so hurtful to the men and women who are currently serving in the U.S. military," Gillibrand began. "If you are saying that women shouldn't be serving in the military and, I'm gonna read you your quotes because the quotes themselves are terrible."

"In all of these other circumstances, you've denigrated active duty service members," she continued. "We have hundreds, hundreds of women who are currently in the infantry. Lethal members of our military serving in the infantry, but you degrade them."

Hegseth disagreed: "Well, Senator, I appreciate your comments, and I would point out I've never disparaged women serving in the military. I respect every single female service member head that has put on the uniform past and present."

Gillibrand called out the nominee for claiming the Pentagon had "quotas" forcing women into combat roles.

ALSO READ: Fox News has blood on its hands as Trump twists the knife

"It does not exist, and your statements are creating the impression that there — that these exist because they do not, there are not quotas," she said. "You cannot denigrate women in general, and your statements do that."

"We don't want women in the military, especially in combat," the senator added. "What a terrible statement."

"So please do not deny that you've made those statements. You have."

Watch the video below.