Senate Armed Services Committee advances nomination of Pete Hegseth to head Pentagon

WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee voted along party lines Monday to send Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary to the Senate as President Donald Trump tries to move quickly to put critical members in place of his office.

All 14 Republican members of the commission voted in favor of Hegseth, while all 13 Democrats voted against him. Despite initial concerns over allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement – ​​all of which Hegseth has denied – not a single Republican senator has said so far that they would vote no, which means he is most likely on his way to being confirmed by the Senate.

The vote will take place in the full Senate on Thursday, unless all 100 members agree to move things along more quickly.

Trump’s decision in November to choose Hegseth, 44, a former Fox News host who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars with the National Guard, stunned many in Washington given that he had limited military command or significant management experience. And in the weeks that followed, Hegseth’s nomination appeared poised to collapse amid reports that he paid compensation to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in a bedroom. hotel in 2017 and that he had a history of excessive drinking at work. , including on Fox News.

Hegseth denied all allegations, vowed he wouldn’t touch alcohol if confirmed to lead the Pentagon and said Trump told him to “keep going, keep fighting.”

At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Tuesday, Hegseth faced sharp questions from Democrats about his drinking problems, his allegations of infidelity, his job misconduct and his experience . Several senators questioned him about his public comments that women should not serve in combat roles. He responded that he now believed women should have access to combat roles as long as “standards remain high.”

But the most pointed questions came from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who focused on allegations of an assault at a Monterrey, Calif., hotel. Local police investigated the incident and prosecutors did not file charges.

“So you think you’re completely exonerated because you didn’t commit any crime. That’s your definition of erase. You had just had a child two months before with a woman who was not your wife,” Kaine told Hegseth in a testy exchange. “I’m shocked that you’re standing here and saying you’re completely exonerated.”

“I was completely exonerated,” Hegseth replied.

“The Monterey incident resulted in a criminal charge, a criminal investigation, a private settlement and a cash payment to the woman who filed the complaint. And there was also a non-disclosure agreement, right? Kaine continued. “Why did you not inform the Commander-in-Chief and the transition team of this very relevant event?

Just four Republican senators could team up with all 47 Democratic senators to derail Hegseth’s nomination. Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, Iraq war veteran and sexual assault survivor, has been considered a possible defection, along with two moderate Republican senators who have broken with Trump in the past, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

But after Tuesday’s hearing, Ernst, a member of the Armed Services Committee who faces re-election in 2026, said she would support Hegseth’s nomination.

“Our next Commander in Chief has chosen Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, after hearing from Iowans and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s choice for Secretary of State. Defense,” Ernst said in a statement. statement.

“As I serve on the Armed Services Committee,” she said, “I will work with Pete to create the deadliest fighting force and hold him to his commitments to audit the Pentagon, ensure opportunities for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and select a senior official to combat and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.