Senate Democrats accused Republicans of rushing the confirmation of Pete Hegeth to lead the Department of Defense despite the numerous allegations against him.
The Senate voted on the motion to proceed on Hegseth earlier this week despite the numerous allegations of heavy drinking and alleged sexual misconduct against women. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing grilled him for cheating on the mother of his child, told The Independent that Republicans changed their plans from confirming Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary first and Hegseth second - now pushing the former Fox News host to the front of the line.
“They switched it around and in my view, they're switching it around because they're worried that other people are going to come out with damaging allegations about Pete Hegseth,” Kaine said. “That should be a reason why they should slow it down than speed it up. but I think they're speeding it up because of they’re afraid of that.”
The Senate voted on Thursday to invoke cloture on Hegseth’s nomination, which would begin 30 hours of consideration of his nomination. Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined every Democrat to oppose cloture.
The vote came despite NBC News reporting that his ex-sister-in-law said in a sworn affidavit that Hegseth’s behavior made his ex-wife Samantha fear for her safety.
“I haven't taken the temperature of my colleagues recently,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told The Independent. “I don't know if the report affected anyone's vote. I don't know if the report affected anyone's vote, but I hope they've had enough time to review it, and I hope they've had enough time to think through what an effective SecDef will look like.”
Gillibrand repeatedly hammered Hegseth about his writing that “We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units.”
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a veteran who announced last week that she would vote to confirm Hegseth, pointed to the fact that Samantha Hegseth said she did not believe the information to be accurate.
“Nobody ever talks about what the ex-wife has said,” Ernst told The Independent. “She is saying that it did not happen, and I think we should listen to her.”
Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who had been seen as the swing vote, told The Independent that confirming Hegseth was a matter of national security.
“We really do need our leads at these agencies,” she said. “Let’s get our primaries in place.”
Hegseth, a former host at Fox News, has faced numerous questions about his alcohol use, his comments about women serving in combat roles and a police report from a woman who accused Hegseth of sexual assault. Hegseth later reached a settlement with the woman and he has denied wrongdoing.
But Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who serves on the Armed Services Committee and had sent a 33-page letter to Hegseth ahead of his hearing, said Republicans needed to answer for why they wanted to rush Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.
“I'm worried that there are Republicans who continue to support a man who has demonstrated repeatedly that he has an alcohol abuse problem,” she told The Independent.
So far, Trump has not been able to see his cabinet confirmed as quickly as he would have wanted. The Senate unanimously confirmed Marco Rubio, the former Florida senator, as Secretary of State.
However, Trump faces numerous obstacles with other nominees such as Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who endorsed Trump to become Director of National Intelligence.
Next week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Senate Finance Committee will hold its hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the environmental lawyer-turned anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, who is seeking to become Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services.
Trump faced a major roadblock after Matt Gaetz, the former Republican congressman he selected to be attorney general. However, Gaetz withdrew his nomination before an Ethics Committee investigation report dropped.
Republicans have a three-seat majority in the Senate, meaning that even some senators who could have reservations about Hegseth, such as Collins or Murkowski, might not be enough to block his confirmation.
