Thune has privately told Trump that Hegseth has the votes to be confirmed as Defense Secretary, sources say

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has privately told President-elect Donald Trump that he believes Pete Hegseth will have the votes to be confirmed as Secretary of Defense, according to three sources.  

When asked for comment, a spokesman for Thune would only tell CBS News, “Two things we don’t discuss publicly: Whip counts and private conversations with the president.” 

The new Senate Majority Leader in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” promised a fair process but expressed more caution.

“I think these are nominees who are new enough, they’ve been going around and conducting their meetings, which I think, frankly, have gone very well, but they still have to make their case in front of the committee. And, you know, we don’t know all the information about some of these nominees.”

Hegseth’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, according to Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker. 

Trump named Hegseth his pick for Defense Secretary on Nov. 12, a week after the election. Days later, Hegseth came under fire amid accusations of past sexual misconduct. An unidentified woman accused Hegseth of sexual assault in a Moneterey, California, hotel room in 2017. 

Hegseth claimed the sexual encounter was consensual and prosecutors declined to file charges. Hegseth and the accuser reached a confidential financial settlement in 2023.

Hegseth has also faced questions about his management of a veterans’ organization he once led and NBC reported that Hegseth’s colleagues at Fox News were concerned about his alcohol consumption. 

Hegseth has said he would not drink alcohol if he becomes Defense Secretary.

Other key confirmation hearings are also tentatively scheduled for the week of Jan. 13 in the run up to the Jan. 20 inauguration, according to sources. 

In many committees, Democrats are still in active negotiations with Republicans about these dates. Until the hearings are publicly noticed by the committees, the dates could slide. 

Senate Foreign Relations will hold Marco Rubio and Elise Stefanik’s confirmation hearings the week of Jan. 13h, with committee chairman James Risch indicating that he would like Rubio to be confirmed on Jan 20, the first day that Trump is in office which would require cooperation from every senator. Rubio is expected to garner wide bipartisan support.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is aiming to hold Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing for attorney general on Jan. 14. In December, prior to the New Orleans truck attack, Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley indicated that Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing to be FBI director would happen in late January after the committee holds hearings for the attorney general, deputy attorney general, and associate attorney general. However he noted, “it doesn’t have to be in that order. That’s kind of the tradition.”

Tulsi Gabbard, who President-elect Trump selected for Director of National Intelligence, and John Ratcliffe, the pick to lead the CIA, could have confirmation hearings in front of Senate Intelligence the week of Jan. 13. A spokeswoman for Senate Intelligence Democrats indicated that negotiations are ongoing and that Republicans would need unanimous consent from Democrats. 

Doug Burgum, the pick to lead the Interior Department, will likely have his confirmation hearing on Jan. 14.

Trump’s picks for Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, and EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin are tentatively scheduled to have hearings on Jan. 15.

Senate Republicans want most of the national security-related confirmation hearings finished by the time Trump takes office on Jan. 20 so that those nominations can be voted on by the full Senate as quickly as possible. But it’s not clear to what extent Democrats may slow down the process in committees and on the floor for the more controversial nominees.