Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth meets with Senator-elect Jim Banks (R-IN) on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 5, 2024.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
The Senate on Thursday voted to advance Pete Hegseth‘s nomination to be President Donald Trump‘s defense secretary, setting up a final confirmation vote for the end of the week.
Senators voted by the narrowest of margins, 51 to 49, to advance Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon, with just two Republicans — moderate Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine — voting with all 47 Democrats to try to block Hegseth. A simple majority was needed.
Shortly before the vote, Murkowski became the first Republican to publicly oppose Hegseth’s nomination, saying that some of the past behavior he has admitted to demonstrates a “lack of judgment” and is “unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces.”
Still, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who has guided Hegseth through the process, said he felt “very positive” about his chances.
Thursday’s vote marked a significant step forward for Hegseth, whose nomination just last month appeared to be on the verge of collapse after multiple news reports detailed allegations of alcohol abuse, a sexual assault, and the financial mismanagement of organizations that he led.
Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor and Army combat veteran, has denied all of those allegations.
The GOP-led Senate voted to end debate on his nomination after 11th-hour revelations that a former sister-in-law to Hegseth had said in a sworn affidavit that was shared with senators that the he had demonstrated “erratic and aggressive behavior over many years” and had made his ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, “fear for her safety” while they were married. The former sister-in-law, Daniella Hegseth, also wrote in the affidavit that “Samantha once told me that Hegseth grabbed her groin without consent at their home.”
The affidavit was submitted in response to a request for information from Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.
The existence of the affidavit was first reported by NBC News.
Daniella Hegseth said that she “did not personally witness physical or sexual abuse by Hegseth.” Samantha Hegseth said in a statement that there was no physical abuse during her marriage to Hegseth. A lawyer for his ex-wife did not respond to the previously unreported allegation.
Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Pete Hegseth, wrote in an email: “As NBC is well aware, the actual participant, Samantha has denied these false allegations, yet NBC continues to irresponsibly report false allegations by an uninvolved third party as if they were fact.”
Hegseth also faced questions about his past comments that women shouldn’t serve in combat. He said during his confirmation hearing last week that he now believes women should have access to combat roles as long as “standards remain high.”
Despite Thursday’s vote, Hegseth is still not in the clear. Four GOP senators joining all 47 Democrats on the final vote would result in Hegseth falling short of the majority he needs to be confirmed.
While Sens. Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., confirmed they would vote in favor of Hegseth and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, reiterated her support for him Thursday, several others remained on the fence.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks with reporters in the Senate subway in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he would vote to advance Hegseth’s nomination and appeared to be leaning in favor of final passage as he investigated the myriad allegations against Hegseth.
“I’m still examining the record … I go through extensive due diligence,” Tillis said Thursday. “I have talked to numerous people. I have spent hours on the phone. I have yet to find one instance of a first-hand account with corroboration to support the allegations. If I find that, then it would influence my vote.
“But I’ve completed due diligence, and I’ve looked for it, and I haven’t found it,” Tillis said.
Wicker, the Armed Services chairman, foreshadowed just how close a final vote on Hegseth might be, suggesting that Vice President JD Vance may be needed to break a 50-50 tie.
“If I were JD Vance, I’d stick around,” Wicker said.
Vice President-elect U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) departs from the Senate Chambers during a vote in the U.S. Capitol on December 18, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
Speaking in opposition of Hegseth’s nomination, Reed, the top Democrat on Armed Services, said on the Senate floor that he believed the FBI’s initial background check into Hegseth was rushed and incomplete. He added that the FBI has had to give him two additional briefings on Hegseth since then, including Wednesday night.
“Before Mr. Hegseth’s hearing, I was alarmed that investigators had neglected to contact critical witnesses and whistle blowers, and I urged them to reopen the investigation,” Reed said in his floor speech. “During my experience on the Armed Services Committee, it is unprecedented that the FBI has returned to my office two more times, as recently as last night, to provide additional information on the nominee.
“Frankly, I still do not believe the background investigation is complete,” he said.
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