Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 14 to make his case to become the next secretary of the Defense Department. Hegseth is the first of roughly a dozen of President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees slated to go before Senate committees this week and is considered one of the more controversial Cabinet selections. That fact was on full display as Hegseth entered the crowded Senate chamber to raucous applause and chants of “U.S.A.” that were quickly followed by angry cries and accusations of support for genocide in the Middle East. Such polarization continued through the single round of questioning afforded to lawmakers. Democrats pressed Hegseth on his professional experience and personal failings, while Republicans praised him for condemning “woke” politics in the military….