The Senate is poised to carry a vote to substantiate Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to function secretary of protection, late Friday night.
Although Hegseth’s nomination has faced scrutiny from numerous Senate Republicans, it’s doubtless that he can have the votes to be confirmed with the assist of solely Republicans when his nomination comes up for closing consideration earlier than the higher chamber.
Hegseth, a former “Fox and Friends” television anchor, was nominated by Trump in November to steer the Protection Division. Within the time since his nomination was introduced, Hegseth has been scrutinized for a number of accusations made in opposition to him, together with these of sexual assault and monetary mismanagement of two completely different veterans organizations.
Hegseth has fiercely denied the allegations. He appeared earlier than the Senate Armed Providers Committee for a public listening to earlier this month, the place he asserted to the panel that he was a “modified man.”
“I’m not an ideal particular person, however redemption is actual,” he advised the panel.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Protection Secretary, testifies throughout his affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Armed Providers Committee on Capitol Hill, Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Throughout the identical listening to, he affirmed his promise to revive the “warfighting ethos” of the DOD, touting his expertise within the Nationwide Guard.
It was sufficient to win over the assist of most Republicans within the Senate, together with a number of of those that had been initially skeptical.
“He articulated a transparent imaginative and prescient of the Pentagon, and it was clear to anybody who listened that he’s going to carry vitality and recent concepts to shake up the division’s stagnant paperwork,” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, mentioned in a flooring speech endorsing Hegseth on Thursday. “He’ll restore a warfighting ethos and relentlessly centered on the army’s core mission: to discourage battle and, if crucial, to win a warfare.”
The Senate Armed Providers Committee superior his nomination on a party-line vote on Monday. Then, in a intently watched second on Thursday, Hegseth’s nomination handed a key check vote that set the desk for Friday’s vote of ultimate passage.
The nomination solely required a easy majority within the Senate to advance, and it cleared the brink narrowly, with solely GOP backing.
However Hegseth did lose the assist of two Senate Republicans throughout that Thursday vote. These two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, are as soon as once more anticipated to solid votes in opposition to Hegseth throughout a closing vote on Friday.
In a press release, Murkowski defined that she couldn’t assist Hegseth because of issues about this character and lack of expertise.
“I imagine that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Protection and should be prioritized with out compromise,” Murkowski mentioned within the submit. “The chief of the Division of Protection should exhibit and mannequin the requirements of habits and character we anticipate of all servicemembers, and Mr. Hegseth’s nomination to the function poses important issues that I can’t overlook.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski heads to the Senate Chamber to vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Safety Act, Jan. 22, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Pictures
Collins took concern with feedback Hegseth made up to now about his perception that ladies mustn’t serve in fight roles within the army. Although Hegseth has since modified his tune on that, Collins mentioned she was unconvinced.
“I’m additionally involved about a number of statements, together with some within the months simply earlier than he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about ladies serving within the army,” Collins mentioned. “He and I had a candid dialog in December about his previous statements and apparently evolving views. I’m not satisfied that his place on ladies serving in fight roles has modified.”
Trump expressed confidence in Hegseth forward of the vote on Friday, although he added, “You may by no means know what is going on to occur.”
Two different intently watched Republicans, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the previous GOP chief, and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, in the end solid votes in favor of advancing Hegseth’s nomination, although there’s nonetheless an opportunity they modify their views throughout Friday’s closing vote, and the president questioned whether McConnell will vote no on Hegseth Friday morning.
Tillis, for instance, mentioned he is nonetheless contemplating the latest slate of allegations in opposition to Hegseth, leveled in an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law Danielle Hegseth. In that affidavit, which ABC News obtained, Danielle Hegseth attested that Pete Hegseth’s ex-wife Samantha advised her she “as soon as hid in her closet from Hegseth as a result of she feared for her private security” within the dwelling they shared throughout their marriage. It additionally detailed episodes of binge consuming by Pete Hegseth.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with Sen. John Cornyn in Washington, Dec. 10, 2024.
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
An legal professional for Pete Hegseth denied these allegations, and allegations of abuse had been additionally rejected by his ex-wife.
Tillis mentioned he thus far has not discovered credible proof to again lots of the allegations which have be levied in opposition to Pete Hegseth however that he is nonetheless doing his vetting on these most up-to-date developments.
“I’m within the means of finishing due diligence on what seems to be the final allegation. All the opposite ones I could not conclude had validity,” Tillis mentioned Thursday. “So I am speaking to people who may give me information inputs. All of it goes again to the identical factor — first-hand, eye-witness, corroborated account.”
Pete Hegseth can afford to lose three Republicans when he’s voted on later Friday. If another Republican flips his or her vote, he’ll want the tiebreaking vote of Vice President J.D. Vance to be confirmed.
