WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth because the nation’s protection secretary late Friday in a dramatic tie-breaking vote, swatting again questions on his {qualifications} to steer the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy ingesting and aggressive conduct towards ladies.
Hardly ever has a Cupboard nominee confronted such wide-ranging considerations about his expertise and conduct as Hegseth, significantly for such a high-profile position atop the U.S. navy. However the Republican-led Senate was decided to substantiate Hegseth, a former Fox Information host and fight veteran who has vowed to carry a “warrior tradition,” rounding out President Donald Trump’s high nationwide safety Cupboard officers.
Vice President JD Vance arrived to interrupt the 50-50 tie, extremely uncommon for Cupboard nominees and significantly protection secretaries, who usually win wider bipartisan assist. Hegseth himself was on the Capitol along with his household.
“We’ve an incredible secretary of protection and we’re very pleased,” Trump mentioned as he boarded Air Power One after surveying fireplace devastation in California.
Trump mentioned he didn’t care in regards to the dissent from Sen. Mitch McConnell, the influential former Republican chief — who joined two different Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, in voting in opposition to Hegseth — as a result of the “essential factor is successful.”
The Senate’s means to substantiate Hegseth regardless of a grave sequence of allegations in opposition to him supplies a measure of Trump’s political energy and talent to get what he desires from the GOP-led Congress, and of the efficiency of the tradition wars to gas his agenda on the White Home.
Solely as soon as earlier than has the vp needed to break a tie on a Cupboard nominee — throughout Trump’s first time period, when Vice President Mike Pence forged the vote to substantiate Betsy DeVos as training secretary.
Subsequent week senators shall be going through Trump’s different outdoors Cupboard decisions together with significantly Kash Patel, a Trump ally who has printed an enemies checklist, because the FBI director; Tulsi Gabbard as director of the workplace of nationwide intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine advocate, at Well being and Human Companies.
“Is Pete Hegseth really the perfect we’ve got to supply?” mentioned Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the highest Democrat on the Senate Armed Companies Committee, urging his colleagues to suppose severely about their vote. All Democrats opposed the nominee.
However Senate Majority Chief John Thune mentioned Hegseth, as a veteran of the Military Nationwide Guard who served excursions in Iraq and Afghanistan, “will carry a warrior’s perspective” to the highest navy job.
“Gone would be the days of woke distractions,” Thune mentioned, referring to the variety, fairness and inclusion initiatives being slashed throughout the federal authorities. “The Pentagon’s focus shall be on struggle combating.”
Hegseth himself was working the telephones late Friday to shore up his assist, his affirmation at stake.
“He’s a superb man,” Trump mentioned of Hegseth whereas departing the White Home to go to disaster-hit North Carolina and Los Angeles. “I hope he makes it.”
The uncertainty despatched tensions hovering late Friday on the Capitol. It takes a easy majority to substantiate nominees, and Republicans, with a 53-47 majority within the Senate, might solely lose yet one more objection after Murkowski and Collins already introduced they might vote no.
McConnell had signaled skepticism in an earlier speech when he declared he would verify nominees to senior nationwide safety roles “whose report and expertise will make them fast property, not liabilities.”
One Republican, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, despatched the Senate swirling as he raised contemporary questions and was offered info and solutions.
However Tillis in the end voted to substantiate Hegseth, who he mentioned “has a singular perspective” and is obsessed with modernizing the navy. He mentioned he spoke to Hegseth for “almost two hours” about his considerations.
In distinction, McConnell mentioned after the vote mentioned Hegseth “didn’t reckon” with the fact of job, noting that the nominee’s “mere need to be a ‘change agent’ shouldn’t be sufficient.”
Democrats, because the minority get together, have helped verify Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe in bipartisan votes to Trump’s nationwide safety crew.
However Democrats gravely against Hegseth had little energy to cease him, and as a substitute resorted to dragging out the method. Hours earlier than the vote, Democrats took to the Senate flooring to object.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., mentioned there have been few Trump nominees as “dangerously and woefully unqualified as Hegseth.”
Hegseth confronted allegations that he sexually assaulted a girl at a Republican convention in California, although he has denied the claims and mentioned the encounter was consensual. He later paid $50,000 to the lady.
Extra not too long ago, Hegseth’s former sister-in-law mentioned in an affidavit that he was abusive to his second spouse to the purpose that she feared for her security. Hegseth has denied the allegation, and in divorce proceedings, neither Hegseth nor the lady claimed to be a sufferer of home abuse.
Throughout a fiery affirmation listening to, Hegseth dismissed allegations of wrongdoing one after the other, and vowed to carry “warrior tradition” to the highest Pentagon submit.
Hegseth has promised to not drink on the job if confirmed.
Republican senators going through an intensive stress marketing campaign by Trump allies to assist Hegseth stood by his nomination, echoing his claims of a “smear” marketing campaign in opposition to him.
A Princeton and Harvard graduate, Hegseth represents a more recent era of veterans who got here of age within the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults. He went on to a profession at Fox Information because the host of a weekend present, and was unknown to many on Capitol Hill till Trump tapped him for the highest Protection job.
Hegseth’s feedback that girls should not have any position in navy fight drew specific concern, together with from lawmakers who themselves served. He has since tempered these views as he met with senators through the affirmation course of.
Murkowski mentioned in a prolonged assertion forward of a take a look at vote on Hegseth that his behaviors “starkly distinction” with what is anticipated of the navy.
“I stay involved in regards to the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to ladies at the moment serving and people aspiring to affix,” Murkowski wrote on social media.
Collins mentioned that after a prolonged dialogue with Hegseth, “I’m not satisfied that his place on ladies serving in fight roles has modified.”
However one outstanding Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a veteran and sexual assault survivor, got here underneath harsh criticism for her skepticism towards Hegseth and finally introduced she would again him.
Hegseth would lead a corporation with almost 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a finances of $850 billion.
In exercising its advise and consent position over Trump’s nominees, the Senate can also be attempting to stave off his suggestion that the GOP leaders merely cast off the affirmation course of altogether, and permit him to nominate his Cupboard decisions when the Congress is on recess.
Trump raised the concept of so-called “recess appointments” throughout a non-public White Home assembly with Thune and Home Speaker Mike Johnson, a step many senators are attempting to keep away from.
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