Pete Hegseth's nomination for Defense Secretary advanced in the Senate despite facing controversies and opposition from two Republican senators. The vote was close, 51-49, with all Democrats and two moderate Republicans voting against him. Hegseth's nomination has been marred by allegations of erratic behavior and past comments on women in the military. Despite these concerns, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker remains confident Hegseth will be confirmed on Friday.
Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth 's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in a series of controversies. Two Republicans are opposed to Hegseth .The vote was 51 to 49, with just two Republicans — moderate Sens.
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine — voting with all 47 Democrats to try to block Hegseth. He needed a simple majority to advance to a final vote. 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.", Hegseth walked those comments back, telling senators he supports women serving in combat as long as standards remain high. But Collins said in her statement she is"not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed." In Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren questioned Trump’s Pentagon pick on why his stance on women in the military changed after the 2024 election of Donald Trump. Still, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who has guided Hegseth through the process, declared after the vote that Hegseth will be confirmed on Friday. Asked about Murkowski and Collins opposing him, Wicker said, “I was not surprised, and I do understand.”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 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 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.” 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., 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.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.Here are some of the people that President-elect Donald Trump has named for high-profile positions in his administration. Nominations and picks are not official until Trump is officially in office.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.Philadelphia
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