Majority Leader Thune told Trump that Hegseth had votes to confirm

New Senate Majority Leader John Thune reportedly told President-elect Donald Trump that he believed Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary, would have enough votes to be confirmed, according to a report.

“Three sources” told CBS News that Thune told Trump privately that he “believed” Hegseth “would get the votes to be confirmed as defense secretary.”

However, a spokesperson for Thune told the outlet that there are “two things” that aren’t talked about publicly: “the whip matters and private conversations with the president.”

Since Trump announced he was nominating Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, Hegseth has faced several smear campaigns launched against him.

As Breitbart News’ Kristina Wong previously reported, one of the smears leveled against him involved claims that his “tattoos were linked to white supremacy” while the tattoos were “linked to his Christian faith , not white supremacy.” Another defamation centered on “a report on 2017 allegations from a woman” that claimed Hegseth “raped” her.

Another smear launched against Hegseth came after the New York Times “published an angry email” that Hegseth’s mother sent him, accusing him of “mistreating women.” Hegseth’s mother later apologized for what she had written. Another smear “centered on accusations from a decade ago, when fired colleagues at Concerned Veterans for America created a document complaining about leadership,” and claimed that Hegseth “drank too much at holiday parties.” year and after-work events.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, previously told CNN that Hegseth’s confirmation hearing was scheduled for January 14.