A divided Senate voted Thursday to confirm Pat Hegseth as defense secretary, a major Republican vote in a key sign that fresh allegations about his personal conduct are derailing his nomination. Not likely to take off.
On a 51 to 49 vote, Republicans broke a Democratic filibuster, clearing the final hurdle to a confirmation vote expected Friday evening. The action comes as Democrats, who have disqualified President Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, worked to convince a handful of GOP senators to join the opposition.
“We cannot risk installing a leader who has a history that our adversaries can exploit,” Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said in a floor speech Thursday. “Nor can we risk confirming a Secretary of Defense who has demonstrated that he is incapable of being responsible, accountable, and law-abiding 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as That the need for this work is.”
In his statement, Mr Reed referred to a sworn statement submitted to the Senate on Tuesday by one of Mr Hegseth’s ex-brother-in-laws who described him as a frequent drug addict and “abusive” towards his second wife. . Mr Hegseth has denied the account, as well as a number of allegations barring his nomination, including a sexual assault, and other reports of excessive drinking.
A handful of Republicans have said privately that the new allegations against Danielle Dietrich Hegseth, the ex-wife of Mr. Hegseth’s brother, are troubling. But on Thursday, all but two voted to advance his nomination.
Senators Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, voted against moving forward with Mr. Hegseth’s bid. Before the vote, Ms Murkowski said she could not “in good conscience” support his installation at the Pentagon.
“While the allegations of sexual abuse and excessive drinking do nothing to allay my concerns, Mr Hegseth’s admitted past behaviour, including infidelity on numerous occasions, demonstrates a lack of judgment which “Indispensable for someone leading our armed forces,” he said in a statement, citing reports of alleged financial mismanagement at two veterans’ organizations he ran, as well as of women in her past fighting Derogatory statements.
To win the endorsement, Mr. Hegseth needs the support of all but three Republicans because Democrats are certain to unanimously oppose him, as they did on Thursday.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Hegseth described the allegations against him as “anonymous smears.”
Mr Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth, has said publicly that he never physically abused her. But a Trump transition official informed leaders of the Armed Services Committee last week that he had told the FBI during a background interview that Mr. Hegseth had been abusive and continued to abuse alcohol. is, according to a person familiar with the findings.
Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the committee, made no specific mention of the allegations in making the case for Mr. Hegseth on the Senate floor, but denied what he called “multiple deceptions” about him. And fake news”. .
“His experience in the fireline and his service member advocacy make at least one thing clear: Pat Hegseth will put the men and women of our military first,” Mr. Wicker said.
But Democrats warned he was highly unqualified for the job Mr Trump wants.
“Is this guy, with a known history of excessive drinking, the guy you want on the other end of the phone at 2 a.m. in a crisis, in control of the nuclear codes? Who are we kidding?” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and minority leader, added: “Pat Hegseth has demonstrated that he lacks the ethics, sense, judgment necessary to be Secretary of Defense”.
Daniel Hegseth’s affidavit, obtained by The New York Times, describes Mr. Hegseth as exhibiting such “erratic and aggressive behavior” that his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, once hid from him in a closet. , and gave a safe word to close friends so she could call for help if she needed it. It also detailed several episodes in which he said he personally witnessed Mr Hegseth drinking to excess, including once while in uniform and several times until he passed out.
Democrats on Thursday were racing to back up those allegations with more testimony or evidence, according to people familiar with their efforts.
But many Republicans have already dismissed the allegations, pointing to Samantha Hegseth’s denial that Mr. Hegseth ever physically abused her to discount the rest of Daniel Hegseth’s affidavit.
“Why should I trust his word?” South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said of Daniel Hegseth in a brief interview Wednesday. “He said no. It seems like there would be other people if he was stumbling around drunk all the time.
Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa and an early skeptic of Mr. Hegseth’s nomination, who had strongly supported him, was similarly unmoved.
“His ex-wife has denied it. So it doesn’t really go very far,” Ms. Ernst, who has come under immense pressure from Mr. Trump’s supporters to support Mr. Hegseth, said. told reporters Wednesday at the Capitol. “It has no weight.”
A handful of Republican senators were unmoved, leading Democrats to hope they could still convince enough others to block Mr. Hegseth’s bid.
Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, told reporters Thursday that he was continuing his “due diligence” on the nomination, even as he voted to break the Democratic filibuster.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who has not endorsed Mr. Hegseth, declined to answer questions about his bid, but on Thursday moved Mr. Hegseth’s nomination to a final confirmation vote. Voted for.
