Despite the renewed spotlight on Hegseth, Senate Republicans — who will be in the majority next year and need 50 votes to confirm a Cabinet appointee — did not seem inclined to oppose his selection without hearing more.
Senate Republicans displayed little love lost for Gaetz after just eight days of scrutiny.
It’s played out faster than we thought.” Advertisement Hegseth has so far had to contend with no such personal drama on Capitol Hill.
Many Senate Republicans said they were surprised by his nomination and confessed to having little familiarity with his background, which Democrats were quick to note did not include any role managing a government agency or office.
Some Senate Republicans also predicted privately that Hegseth might fare well, too, in interviews and confirmation hearings because of his extensive TV experience, and suggested that Republicans are likely to be impressed by his military service and medals.
Senate Republicans hinted that they were still open to confirming another Cabinet nominee who is also accused of sexual misconduct, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general collapsing Thursday due to doubts that he could overcome the accusations to receive Senate confirmation.
The senators emphasized that police had looked into a 2017 claim that Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, had drugged and sexually assaulted a woman at a political conference in California, but had decided not to file charges. Hegseth has refuted the woman’s claims, despite having paid his accuser an undisclosed amount as part of a nondisclosure agreement.
We live in a time when everyone’s past is revealed, regardless of their current situation, and people form opinions before they have had a chance to fully understand the facts, Sen said. On Thursday, Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, informed reporters.
According to the police report, “the good thing is, there’s actually a full report, and you guys can read it for yourself,” he stated. “I don’t believe that this can be classified as a sexual assault in any way. “.”.
The response stood in sharp contrast to the growing criticism of former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who on Thursday resigned from consideration for the position of attorney general following disclosures that two women had testified before the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had paid them for sex. Trump declared later Thursday that he was appointing Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, to lead the Justice Department.
Even though Hegseth is receiving more attention, Senate Republicans, who will hold the majority next year and require 50 votes to confirm a Cabinet nominee, did not appear to be inclined to oppose his selection until further information was available.
Sen. The lack of charges following the police investigation was another reason given by Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), who is anticipated to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would host Hegseth’s confirmation hearings, that things might turn out differently for the Pentagon designee.
“The fact that no charges were filed and that the allegations are under dispute will undoubtedly also serve as a reminder to members,” Wicker stated.
In addition to Trump’s choice of Rep. Sen. Michael Waltz, a Republican from Florida, served as national security adviser. R-Florida Marco Rubio as secretary of state.
Sen said, “I think [Hegseth] is a good combination with Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio.”. R-Alaska Dan Sullivan stated.
The Armed Services Committee member and Marine Corps veteran Sullivan claimed to have seen firsthand the “woke stuff” in the U.S. S. . military, and commended Hegseth for appearing to be a man who will “return the focus to lethality, winning wars.”. “.”.
He stated that the accusations of assault “will need to be addressed.”. However, I don’t believe that he ought to face press charges for those. In contrast to the current administration, which has not prioritized lethality, I have been concentrating on the policies that I am confident he will prioritize and execute. “”.
Sen. One of Trump’s staunchest Hill supporters, Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), reacted angrily Thursday when The Washington Post questioned him about whether the rape claims against Hegseth could prevent his confirmation.
“I was not questioned regarding President Biden’s alleged rape. He made reference to a 2019 accusation made by a former Biden Senate staffer during Biden’s presidential campaign: “Y’all need to knock it off.”. In 1993, Biden pinned her against a wall, reached up her skirt, and touched her, according to the staffer Tara Reade. Biden flatly rejected the accusation.
As he hurried past reporters, Graham added, “There’s a process.”. He will be nominated as part of the process. He’ll be given a hearing. I’ll make a decision after he is asked to respond to these accusations. “”.
On Thursday, Hegseth made his first trip to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican senators since his nomination. He spoke to reporters outside Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who will be Trump’s vice president soon.
Following his meetings with Wicker and Mullin, Hegseth declared, “It’s an incredible opportunity that I do not take lightly.” He also met with Senate Republicans Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), Bill Hagerty (Tennessee), and John Barrasso (Wyoming), who will soon serve as the chamber’s GOP whip. We take the U.S.’s role in advice and consent very seriously. S. . The Senate does. We’re excited to get started on that process. We don’t take anything at all for granted. “.”.
Hegseth responded, “It’s very simple,” when asked about the claim that he had sexually assaulted a woman following a GOP women’s convention in Monterey, California. I was cleared after a thorough investigation into the matter. “”.
After looking into the claims, the Monterey Police Department decided not to press charges. Police received a report from an ER nurse who reported that a woman had told her that Hegseth may have drugged and sexually assaulted her. According to Hegseth, the interaction was consensual.
According to Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore, the woman made up the assault “to keep her marriage intact,” and Hegseth and his accuser had a consensual encounter. “”.
Hegseth may face more scrutiny as a result of Gaetz’s departure, according to some Trump transition officials who expressed concern Thursday. According to a person familiar with the transition team’s thinking, Republicans may feel at ease challenging one of Trump’s Cabinet choices but may be reluctant to go any further for fear that doing so could jeopardize a Trump-backed Republican primary opponent. The individual stated that the others are now more exposed because Gaetz, the least popular choice, left on his own volition.
According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the transition team’s discussions, Hegseth’s nomination is particularly vulnerable due to the accusations against him.
Hegseth has so far received more positive responses than Gaetz, who was the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation for a number of reasons, including allegedly paying for sex with a minor. Prior to bringing charges, the Justice Department closed its investigation into Gaetz for suspected sex trafficking. Gaetz refuted the allegations.
Gaetz received little love from Senate Republicans after only eight days of scrutiny. Gaetz has made few friends and a lot of enemies in his eight years in Congress, which may have contributed to his fate.
“We all said we were going to let the process play out,” said James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), another senator Gaetz had previously criticized, in response to the news of Gaetz’s abrupt withdrawal from consideration. It’s unfolding more quickly than we anticipated. “”.
This kind of personal drama on Capitol Hill has not yet been a problem for Hegseth. His nomination surprised many Senate Republicans, who acknowledged that they didn’t know much about his background. Democrats quickly pointed out that this background didn’t include any experience running a government office or agency. Hegseth would be in charge of a global workforce of 3 million military and civilian employees as well as an annual budget exceeding $800 billion in his capacity as defense secretary.
Furthermore, pressure on the Ethics Committee had increased as a result of Gaetz’s confirmation process. Following Gaetz’s announcement that he would step down from Congress, Democrats and some Republicans urged the secret committee to make the report public. Hegseth, however, does not have to deal with this issue.
In private, some Senate Republicans also predicted that Hegseth’s vast TV experience might help him do well in interviews and confirmation hearings, and that Republicans would likely be impressed by his medals and military service. Hegseth’s public appeals to rid the military of its “woke” generals and officers were also commended by some.
This report was written by Liz Goodwin and John Hudson.
