Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated war veteran, has been meeting with GOP senators this week to counter allegations of sexual assault, misconduct, drinking, and financial mismanagement — all of which he denies. However, conflicting reports have emerged about the viability of his nomination, but there apparently is growing public support for Hegseth’s nomination from those who have met with him.
One notable exception is Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is drawing backlash from Trump supporters for still refusing to back him.
“Ernst, a former Army National Guard member and a retired lieutenant colonel who has made combating sexual harassment in the military a focus of her time on Capitol Hill, indicated on Thursday that she isn't ready to support Hegseth's nomination yet,” reports Newsweek.
Naturally, many Trump supporters are livid and promise that she will be primaried.
Sources claim that anywhere from six to eight Republicans are privately indicating that they won’t support Hegseth.
The fact that any Republican nominee would have trouble getting confirmed when Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in January is unconscionable. Heck, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden’s scandal-plagued Defense Secretary, was confirmed 93-2 in 2021.
The Iowa Republican, a member of the Armed Services committee and a survivor of sexual assault herself, praised Hegseth's service and wrote on social media that she had a "frank and thorough" conversation with him on Wednesday.
But she demurred when asked if she would back him during an appearance on Fox News on Thursday, saying that a "very thorough vetting" is needed.
When someone asked her if she was not yet ready to vote yes on Hegseth, Ernst said, "I think you are right. I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that's why we have to have a very thorough vetting process. And that's why I was happy to sit down with Pete and have that conversation with him yesterday. So again, all I will say at this time is that we did have a very thorough discussion."
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So what is Ernst’s deal? There’s one obvious explanation.
“While Trump and his advisers have privately said the president-elect backs Hegseth and wants him to ‘keep fighting,’ sources familiar with private discussions tell ABC News that a growing list of replacements is emerging to replace him,” the network reported earlier this week. “Those include Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty and Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, whom Trump has already tapped to be national security adviser.”
Isn’t that interesting?
Ernst, for her part, denies there’s anything self-serving about her not backing Hegseth’s nomination.
A spokesperson for Ernst told Newsweek, “As Senator Ernst has said, she is not seeking to be secretary of defense; there is no ‘campaign’ against Pete, and is continuing the vetting process.”
Look, I don’t know what her true motivations are, but I’m sick of Democrat nominees getting confirmed with bipartisan support, yet Republican nominees always seem to be on life support.
