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Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined all Senate Democrats against Hegseth, but it was still not enough to prevent Trump’s nomination from passing by a simple majority.
in the military, allegations of serious misconduct have been made.
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He had threatened his ex-wife, forcing her to hide in a closet, and made derogatory comments about women, Muslims, and Mexican-Americans, also drink excessively and collapse, leading to vomiting.
In one instance, Hegseth was carried out of a strip club in Minneapolis while he was in uniform and receiving a lap dance.
Timothy Parlatore, the lawyer for Hegseth, strongly denied the allegations, stating that Hegseth’s ex-wife has claimed in court documents that there was no physical abuse during their marriage.
on Thursday.
Sens. Roger Wicker and Jack Reed, the committee’s Republican chairman and top Democrat, were informed of the statement two days after Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the committee, as reported.
The FBI report was “true and accurate.” It noted that the FBI has never before had to give multiple briefings on a Defense Secretary nominee while that nominee was serving in the Senate.
The claims against him that question his integrity do not stand up to closer examination.
Following recent reports, Senate Democrats have requested that Hegseth have a private meeting with every member of the committee before a final vote. “It would be irresponsible and at odds with our constitutional obligation for the Senate to vote to confirm this nomination” without doing so, they stated in a statement on Wednesday.
Just before she voted against Hegseth on Thursday, Murkowski explained her reasoning in a post on X, saying, “After conducting a thorough evaluation, I ultimately decide that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense.”
“The allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking haven’t alleviated my concerns, but Mr. Hegseth’s own admissions of having been unfaithful on multiple occasions clearly show a poor judgment that doesn’t align with the kind of leadership the military deserves,” Murkowski wrote.
Murkowski stated that Hegseth’s limited experience and his past opposition to women in combat roles were among the factors that contributed to her “no” vote. Just outside of the Senate chamber, after casting her vote, Murkowski told the press that she was “absolutely at peace” with her decision.
Conservative commentator Pete Hegseth says he’s a change agent poised to shake up the military.
in government.
Hegseth described himself as someone who wants to shake things up within a military that has become stagnant due to “woke” policies and red tape. He acknowledged that his previous experience involved managing a very small team, a far cry from the massive 3 million personnel and $850 billion budget that the Pentagon oversees.
Hegseth later paid the accuser a settlement to remain silent about the claim, stating that, although it was untrue, it would harm his position as a Fox News anchor.
The woman’s mother appeared on the Fox News Channel to speak out on her previous statements after announcing her endorsement for Trump’s nomination of Hegseth.
Republicans on the committee, many of whom have echoed his criticisms of the Pentagon’s leadership, agreed with Hegseth that the accusations were “anonymous smears” and that Hegseth was a changed individual after his past betrayals and problematic drinking issues.
Sen. Wicker said Hegseth’s lack of past experience would actually be an asset, not a negative factor, for the role. “I believe he has a lot of expertise – and honestly, I think we need some changes made at the Pentagon.”
However, Democrats on the committee felt that Hegseth was not sufficiently qualified to lead the military.
“He expressed a lot of concern that lowering the bar would impact others in their careers, regardless of their background or gender. Yet he was, in reality, asking us to consider lowering that bar so he could meet the requirements,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-IL., said to USA TODAY.
Opposition to women serving in military combat roles was voiced by Hegseth in a podcast interview not long before Trump nominated him. In the interview, he stated, “I’m saying straight up, we shouldn’t have women in combat roles,” however, he retracted these comments in the lead-up to the hearing.
She will back his nomination, putting an end to speculation that she would be one of the few Republican holdouts.
In the time before a new Secretary of Defense is confirmed, Trump assigned Robert Salesses, a retired Marine Corps officer, to handle the position’s responsibilities.
Reporters Savannah Kuchar and Sudiksha Kochi contributed to this article.
Pete Hegseth is moving further along to become secretary of defense under Trump, amid claims of misconduct.
