Pete Hegseth appears to have won over a prominent holdout in his quest to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Defense secretary.
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst signaled support for Hegseth’s nomination following their meeting Monday afternoon.
“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in the statement. “Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and values of our service men and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.” “As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources,” Ernst added.
BREAKING: Senator Joni Ernst announces her SUPPORT For Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
Ernst says she believes Pete Hegseth and not “anonymous sources”
WE WON: pic.twitter.com/j73zDDkdtV
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 9, 2024
Ernst, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is seen as a crucial vote Hegseth has to secure in his fight to win Senate confirmation. Hegseth faced scrutiny from Ernst and other Republican senators over anonymous sexual assault and drinking allegations, which he and his former colleagues have fiercely denied.
Hegseth praised Ernst following the meeting, calling the Iowa Republican a “dedicated” voice on defense issues.
“The more we talk, the more we’re reminded of as two combat veterans how dedicated we are to defense,” Hegseth told reporters.
No Republican senators have pledged to oppose Hegseth’s nomination, but several senators, including Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, are noncommittal.
Hegseth met with Ernst last week, but the Iowa Republican notably withheld her support, telling reporters they would continue having “constructive conversations” regarding his nomination.
Hegseth told SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly last Wednesday that he believed his nomination to serve as defense secretary was being subjected to a “smear campaign.”
.@PeteHegseth responds to 2017 rape accusation, the settlement with the accuser, and how he changed his lifehttps://t.co/zha7qV7p4a
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) December 4, 2024
“I had a member, not 45 minutes ago, look me in the eye in private, just he and I, and say ‘That’s what they’re trying to do to you,’” Hegseth told Kelly. “‘That’s their playbook. Get ready for more, and they’re gonna make it up, just like they have so far. All anonymous, all innuendo, all rumor, nothing sourced, no verification and they’re just gonna keep doing it, because you’re a threat to them. You’re a threat to their system. You’re a threat to all the things in Washington D.C., the swamp, the things that people have rejected. You’re a threat to that, and so they’re coming after you.’”
Ernst’s signal of support for Hegseth follows President-elect Donald Trump’s public defense of his embattled defense secretary nominee.
“Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Dec. 6.
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