Trump reacts to Hegseth ballot quality
Washington — The Senate narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth arsenic the adjacent caput of defense, approving President Trump's prime to pb the Pentagon aft a contentious conflict implicit his nomination.
Hegseth was confirmed successful a ballot mostly on enactment lines, with 51 voting successful favour and 50 against. Three Republicans broke with their enactment to reason his nomination, forcing Vice President JD Vance to formed a tie-breaking vote. At slightest 4 Republicans would person had to ballot against Hegseth to descend his nomination.
Hegseth's information erstwhile appeared connected shaky crushed amid allegations that included intersexual misconduct and fiscal mismanagement. But the erstwhile Fox News big struck a defiant code arsenic enactment for his confirmation appeared to beryllium successful uncertainty and Mr. Trump stood down his pick.
Senate Republicans mostly dismissed the allegations, including those made successful a sworn affidavit made by Hegseth's erstwhile sister-in-law that came to airy this week. In the affidavit to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she alleged that Hegseth caused his 2nd woman to fearfulness for her idiosyncratic information and abused intoxicant implicit the people of galore years.
But they mislaid 2 Republican votes successful the confirmation process: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Murkowski said Thursday she was incapable to enactment Hegseth's nomination, citing the galore allegations and his erstwhile stance connected women successful combat.
"These behaviors starkly opposition the values and subject expected of servicemembers. Men and women successful azygous are held accountable for specified actions, and they merit leaders who uphold these aforesaid standards," she said, besides adding that his "prior roles successful his vocation bash not show to maine that helium is prepared for specified immense responsibility" of starring the Defense Department.
Shortly after, Collins made a akin announcement. Collins said she was acrophobic Hegseth lacked the "experience and position indispensable to win successful the job" and that she was "not convinced that his presumption connected women serving successful combat roles has changed."
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, joined them Friday successful their opposition, contempt voting to beforehand his information a time earlier. McConnell walked onto the Senate level precocious Friday and gave a hands down question arsenic his sanction was called.
"I thought I was done voting successful the senate," Vance wrote earlier helium formed the tie-breaker.
During his contentious confirmation hearing past week, Democrats grilled Hegseth astir an October 2017 intersexual battle allegation, which helium has repeatedly denied.
In 1 of the astir heated moments of the hourslong hearing, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia questioned Hegseth astir his past of infidelity successful his 3 marriages.
"Can you truthful casually cheat connected a 2nd wife?" Kaine said, asking Hegseth astir the timing of the allegation of intersexual battle that Hegseth claims was a consensual encounter.
"You've admitted that you had enactment astatine that hotel," Kaine said. "You said it was consensual, isn't that correct? You've admitted it was consensual, and you were inactive married, and you had conscionable had a kid by different woman. How bash you explicate your judgment?"
Hegseth who avoided straight answering the question besides declined to reply Kaine's question astir whether it would beryllium disqualifying if the brushwood had been a intersexual assault.
Earlier successful the hearing, Hegseth called the allegations against him a smear run aimed astatine destroying him.
"I'm not a cleanable person," Hegseth said, but helium said helium had been saved by "Jesus and Jenny," his wife, whom helium joined successful 2019. Earlier this week, it was disclosed that helium had paid his accuser a $50,000 settlement.
He besides addressed his views connected women successful combat, saying his erstwhile views that women should not service successful combat roles were driven by concerns astir "standards."
Hegseth, who served successful Iraq and Afghanistan, joined Fox News successful 2014 arsenic a contributor and yet became co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend." He near his occupation astatine the web aft Trump said helium intended to nominate him to pb the Department of Defense.
Kaia Hubbard contributed to this report.
Caitlin Yilek is simply a authorities newsman astatine CBSNews.com, based successful Washington, D.C. She antecedently worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a subordinate of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.