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The Senate voted to confirm the president Donald Trump candidate, Pete Hegseth, for defense secretary on Friday night after a bitter battle to win over lawmakers in his favor was nearly derailed by allegations about his conduct.
The final vote came down to the wire: three Republicans were against, making it a 50-50 vote. Vice President JD Vance was needed to break a tie in the upper house, setting the final score at 51-50.
“Congratulations to Pete Hegseth. He will make an excellent Defense Secretary!” Trump wrote on Truth Social after Hegseth’s confirmation.
Two moderate Republican women in the Senate: Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted against. So is Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the former GOP leader.
MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WILL NOT SUPPORT TRUMP’S CHOICE OF HEGSETH FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Hegseth has denied all allegations of sexual, physical or alcohol abuse. (Tom Williams)
The support of North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis was not a given, and he did not reveal his position until the vote was already underway. He eventually said he would support Trump’s election, giving him enough support to be confirmed by Vance’s deciding vote.
In her explanation, Murkowski cited infidelity, “allegations of sexual abuse and excessive drinking” and Hegseth’s previous comments about women serving in the military.
His self-admitted behavior, she said, showed “a lack of judgment unbecoming of someone leading our armed forces.”
Hegseth arrived at the Capitol for the confirmation vote. (Fox News)
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), the nonprofit advocacy group at the center of many of the allegations made during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, praised his confirmation in a statement.
“The confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense presents a real opportunity to prioritize the safety and prosperity of our citizens, advocate for prudence and efficiency in our defense strategy, and focus our Department of Defense on America’s most vital interests,” the statement said.
The The New Yorker reported in December that Hegseth was forced to leave CVA, the group he once led, amid allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and personal misconduct.
All Democrats opposed the confirmation, a far cry from the previous vote this week, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed unanimously, 99-0.
Hegseth will now lead the government’s biggest agency, after long vowing to root out diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) measures in every branch.
Hegseth is a former Fox News weekend anchor. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
HEGSETH OVERCOME OBSTACLE IN SENATE AND ADVANCED TO FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE
The Pentagon under Trump, however, did not welcome a confirmed secretary.
This week, it’s the commander Air ForceThe center of the 613th Airborne Operations in Hawaii, which has pushed for more women in roles like hers, has been removed from her position. Gene. Kevin Schneider, commander of the Pacific Air Forces, relieved Col. Julie Sposito-Salceies of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam“due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command the organization.”
Shortly after Trump took office, Coast Guard Commander adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman in uniform to lead any branch of the military, has been removed from her post.
Trump also this week nominated former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier and former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller to top Defense Department posts — both deeply critical of the Biden administration’s Pentagon policies.
Lohmeier, who was nominated for to serve as Under Secretary of the Air Force, he was fired as commander of the 11th Space Alert Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, after writing a book and appearing on podcasts claiming that Marxism had infiltrated the armed forces and criticizing diversity policies.
The Trump administration has already taken action despite no secretary being confirmed. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Scheller made headlines for releasing videos in uniform criticizing senior military leaders for withdrawing from Afghanistan. Scheller, the Defense Department’s new senior adviser to the undersecretary for personnel and readiness, was sent to prison and court-martialed over the clippings.
Hegseth’s nomination hit a last-minute hurdle earlier this week when reports emerged that his former sister-in-law claimed he had abused his second wife.
On Tuesday, Fox News obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, who said he had a problem with alcohol abuse and at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and has no relation to Samantha.
But Danielle Hegseth added that she herself never witnessed any abuse, physical or sexual, by Pete against Samantha.
Samantha Hegseth also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker he said in a statement Wednesday night that the reports “regarding the classified briefing on the background of the FBI investigation of Pete Hegseth that I received last week are grossly and factually incorrect,” and that he stands by Hegseth’s nomination.
Wicker continued to support Hegseth’s appointment. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Earlier on Thursday, Minority Leader Sen Chuck SchumerDN.Y., called on Republicans to join him in opposing the former Fox News host and National Guard member.
“Hegseth is so grossly unqualified to be ranked so highly [as] … one of the worst candidates that could have been put forward,” Schumer said.
Hegseth, who has been married three times, admitted he was a “serial cheater” before he became a Christian and married his now-wife Jenny.
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Army 44-year-old National Guard veteran, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced compared to defense ministers in the past, retiring as a major. But Republicans say they don’t want someone who rose to the top entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.
