Washington — The Senate narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense, approving President Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon after a contentious battle over his nomination.
Hegseth was confirmed in a vote mostly along party lines, with 51 voting in favor and 50 against. Three Republicans broke with their party to oppose his nomination, forcing Vice President JD Vance to cast a tie-breaking vote. At least four Republicans would have had to vote against Hegseth to sink his nomination.
Hegseth’s nomination once appeared on shaky ground amid allegations that included sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement. But the former Fox News host struck a defiant tone as support for his confirmation appeared to be in doubt and Mr. Trump stood behind his pick.
Senate Republicans largely dismissed the allegations, including those made in a sworn affidavit made by Hegseth’s former sister-in-law that came to light this week. In the affidavit to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she alleged that Hegseth caused his second wife to fear for her personal safety and abused alcohol over the course of many years.
But they lost two Republican votes in the confirmation process: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Murkowski said Thursday she was unable to support Hegseth’s nomination, citing the numerous allegations and his previous stance on women in combat.
“These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of servicemembers. Men and women in uniform are held accountable for such actions, and they deserve leaders who uphold these same standards,” she said, also adding that his “prior roles in his career do not demonstrate to me that he is prepared for such immense responsibility” of leading the Defense Department.
Shortly after, Collins made a similar announcement. Collins said she was concerned Hegseth lacked the “experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job” and that she was “not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, joined them Friday in their opposition, despite voting to advance his nomination a day earlier. McConnell walked onto the Senate floor late Friday and gave a hands down motion as his name was called.
“I thought I was done voting in the senate,” Vance wrote before he cast the tie-breaker.
During his contentious confirmation hearing last week, Democrats grilled Hegseth about an October 2017 sexual assault allegation, which he has repeatedly denied.
In one of the most heated moments of the hourslong hearing, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia questioned Hegseth about his history of infidelity in his three marriages.
“Can you so casually cheat on a second wife?” Kaine said, asking Hegseth about the timing of the allegation of sexual assault that Hegseth claims was a consensual encounter.
“You’ve admitted that you had sex at that hotel,” Kaine said. “You said it was consensual, isn’t that correct? You’ve admitted it was consensual, and you were still married, and you had just had a child by another woman. How do you explain your judgment?”
Hegseth who avoided directly answering the question also declined to answer Kaine’s question about whether it would be disqualifying if the encounter had been a sexual assault.
Earlier in the hearing, Hegseth called the allegations against him a smear campaign aimed at destroying him.
“I’m not a perfect person,” Hegseth said, but he said he had been saved by “Jesus and Jenny,” his wife, whom he married in 2019. Earlier this week, it was disclosed that he had paid his accuser a $50,000 settlement.
He also addressed his views on women in combat, saying his previous views that women should not serve in combat roles were driven by concerns about “standards.”
Hegseth, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, joined Fox News in 2014 as a contributor and eventually became co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend.” He left his job at the network after Trump said he intended to nominate him to lead the Department of Defense.
Kaia Hubbard
contributed to this report.
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