Senate to vote on Pete Hegeth’s confirmation, with the result uncertain

The Senate barrel on Friday against a late evening about whether to confirm Pete Hegeth as defense secretary, with the result still uncertain as a handful of Republicans weigh whether President Trump’s election should lead the Pentagon.

Mr. Hegeth’s confirmation was further complicated earlier this week when a former sister -in -law issued a swore at least once under uniform.

Mr. Hegeth denied the claims in the statement when he had denied a previous claim of sexual abuse as well as accusations of financial management and public intoxication. But the document has forced indefinite Republicans to fight again with Mr. Hegeth has the character and compartment network to control an active military of approx. 1.3 million service members and a Pentagon budget of nearly $ 850 billion.

Two Republican Senators – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska – have already announced that they intend to oppose Mr. Hegeth’s confirmation. If a more Republican were to join them, Vice President JD Vance could cast a draw a vote to secure his approval. But if more bread rows, it would sink Mr. Hegeth’s Bud.

In comments on journalists in the White House on Friday, Mr. Trump that he relinquished in at least one more Republican to potentially oppose Mr. Hegeth’s confirmation.

“I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do it,” he said on the southern lawn as he traveled to a trip to North Carolina and California. “And of course Mitch is always a ‘no’ voice I assume.”

“Is Mitch a ‘No’ voice?” he added. “What about Mitch?”

Mr. Trump referred to Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who has been especially silent about Mr. Hegeth’s nomination. Mr. McConnell voted on Thursday to move on with the confirmation vote. Senator Thom Tillis, Republican in North Carolina, also voted to proceed to a final vote, though he told journalists that he still did “Due Diligence” on the nomination.

Most Republicans have rejected the statement from the former sister -in -law, Danielle Diettrich Hegeth, and pointed to a statement that Mr. Hegeth’s ex-wife Samantha Hegeth gave to NBC News denying that Mr. Hegeth ever physically abused her to discredit all demands.

Senator Joni Ernst, Republican in Iowa, who had struggled with whether to support Mr. Hegeth for weeks, until they supported under pressure, journalists told Samantha Hegeth’s denial of physical abuse meant that the statement “does not carry weight.”

Samantha Hegeth is under the limitations of a non-separation clause in the couple’s divorce settlement in 2018. In this decree, Samantha and Pete Hegeth agree to “refrain from engaging in any public discourse, including through either traditional media or social media, shut down the other party and will take reasonable steps to encourage friends and family to refrain from doing so. ”

Such clauses are a common feature of divorces involving children who did Hegeths’.

In a recent interview with FBI investigators, Samantha Hegeth said that Mr. Hegeth had been drinking for excess and continuing to do so, according to a person with knowledge of the results.

The FBI did not comment.

If the Senate rejects Mr. Hegeth’s nomination, it would be the first time since former President George HW Bush’s administration that a defense secretary nominated has failed by a confirmation vote. In 1989, the Senate rejected John Tower, Mr. Bush’s election to defense secretary, by a vote of 47 to 53, about concern for his drinks, his behavior towards women and potential conflicts of interest because of his work for defense contractors.

If Mr. Hegeth is confirmed, it is probably by the nearest margin in modern times for a defense secretary.