Republicans moved behind closed doors Monday to expedite the nomination of Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, to the Senate, brushing aside objections from Democrats who have raised concerns about his conduct personal.
In a private vote, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved Mr. Hegseth’s nomination strictly along party lines, by a vote of 14 to 13, with Republicans voting as a bloc to nominate him and Democrats agreeing. unanimously opposed.
Democrats on the panel attempted to delay the vote because of deep concerns about allegations raised about Mr. Hegseth’s conduct. But their efforts to slow his march toward confirmation to give him more time to investigate the claims failed.
Shortly after Mr. Trump chose him to lead the Pentagon, Mr. Hegseth faced a series of allegations of personal misconduct, including an accusation of sexual assault and reports of public drunkenness and financial mismanagement.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Hegseth denounced allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in California and was seriously drunk in public, calling them “anonymous smears.” Mr. Hegseth reached a legal settlement with his accuser in the sexual assault case, which included a nondisclosure agreement that prohibited him from speaking about it publicly. He has not been charged in this case.
Because Mr. Hegseth’s accusers have so far remained anonymous, Republicans have refused to let them thwart their efforts for a quick confirmation.
“All day long I’ve been hearing about allegations,” Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the panel, said Monday before the panel’s vote.
“This sort of thing is certainly not going to prevent us from submitting the nominations to the full Senate,” he said, adding: “If they were well-founded and taken seriously, we would consider them.” »
Sharon LaFraniere reports contributed.
