{"id":26287,"date":"2019-07-25T17:13:25","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T17:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/25\/hyten-nomination-to-advance-after-he-offers-private-testimony\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:12:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:12:53","slug":"hyten-nomination-to-advance-after-he-offers-private-testimony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/07\/25\/hyten-nomination-to-advance-after-he-offers-private-testimony\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyten nomination to advance after he offers private testimony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Confirmation for President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee<\/a> for vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was set to move forward after lawmakers interviewed him in private on Thursday, according to a top lawmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nominee, U.S. Strategic Command chief Gen. John Hyten, offered testimony to defend himself before the Senate Armed Services Committee in a Senate secure facility all morning. On Tuesday, his accuser, a former subordinate of Hyten\u2019s, answered lawmaker questions<\/a> about her allegations<\/a> in a closed hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., told reporters as he exited the hearing that he planned to announce Thursday afternoon that the panel will hold an open confirmation hearing for Hyten. Inhofe declined to say whether he would vote for Hyten or what he thought of his testimony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategic Command spokesman Navy Cmdr. Bill Clinton told reporters Thursday outside the hearing that, \u201cGen. Hyten thanks Chairman Inhofe for this opportunity to tell his side of the story.\u201d Clinton declined to comment further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accuser, a constituent of Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is reportedly an Army colonel with 28 years of service. Duckworth has called the accuser \u201cvery believable\u201d and said Thursday that Hyten\u2019s testimony, too, had been credible, but she continued to question the fairness of an Air Force probe that cleared Hyten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really tragic situation, and very emotional,\u201d Duckworth said. \u201c[Hyten] is a four-star general, and he has served his country well, but there are still unanswered questions that neither he nor his accuser can answer, and that has to do with how [the Defense Department] handled this case.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyten, a decorated officer with 38 years of service, is the head of the unified command responsible for the America\u2019 nuclear strike capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t