Washington — As the Senate finally confirms Pete Hegers as defense secretary, Democrats continue to raise concerns about his character and suitability to lead the nation's largest department.
The Senate confirmed Hegseth's nomination Thursday in a 51-49 vote, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in objections. The vote kicked off 30 hours of debate as senators sparred over the nominee while Republicans forged ahead in hopes of finalizing his confirmation in Friday night's vote.
Hegseth's nomination was sent to the full Senate on a party-line vote by the Armed Services Committee, which was received by committee members shortly after Affidavit On Tuesday, Hegseth's former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, claimed that he made his second wife fear for her safety and even hid in a closet to avoid him at one point. Danielle Hegseth also testified that he had been drinking heavily for years. Hegseth's attorneys deny the accusations.
That was followed Thursday by reports that Hegseth told the Armed Services Committee Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that he paid $50,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, two sources familiar with the matter said. confirmed this to CBS News. Hegseth's attorney told CBS News in November that his client Pay confidential financial settlement The woman feared the allegation would lead to him being fired from the Fox News host. Hegseth denied the allegation.
The new accusations have reignited enthusiasm among Democrats, who are pleading with Republicans to reconsider their support for him.
"This is not the moral character we want in the men and women who lead our military," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS News. "I really urge my fellow Republicans to Colleagues put national security ahead of loyalty to Donald Trump, and I hope they will turn against him."
On Thursday, two Republican senators known for their opposition — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins — announced they would not support Hegseth, citing reasons It is his past actions, judgments and experiences. But it remains to be seen whether others will join them in the final vote.
Senate Republicans could lose one more vote to get Hegseth confirmed at the finish line, in which case Vice President J.D. Vance would be asked to break the tie in Hegseth's favor.
Republicans expressed confidence in Hegseth's prospects. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS News that the new Hegseth affidavit "doesn't change anything," calling it the "first Another example of three parties coming in and saying some unpleasant things.” Directly contradicting what the individuals they identified said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters earlier Thursday that he would be surprised if Hegers was not confirmed, saying, "I think he has the votes." "
Republican Whip Sen. John Barroso touted Hegers' qualifications for the job while arguing that he "answered tough questions with clarity and conviction" during last week's meeting. committee hearing The committee voted to promote him.
“Unfortunately, that’s not enough for Democrats,” Barrasso said. "They decided to then resort to desperate tactics of distraction and delay so that they could attempt search and destroy."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters that Democrats will take "either way to raise questions about competency and character" involving Trump's most controversial nominees, including Hegseth .
"I hope that at least some of my Republican colleagues will ask themselves deeply whether this man really deserves to be at the pinnacle of our military defense and responsible for the most awe-inspiring and important decisions about our national security," Blumenthal said. .” said most people would have opposed Hegseth if they had not faced pressure from the president.
Danielle Hegseth's affidavit also raises questions about the background check and briefing process. Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the testimony in the affidavit was not adequately included in the briefing provided by the Trump transition team. He said he was "very disappointed" with the FBI investigation. Reed said he was briefed before the hearing and was shocked that investigators had not contacted key witnesses and whistleblowers.
The Rhode Island Democrat said it was "unprecedented" that the FBI had contacted him twice - most recently on Wednesday night - to provide more information about Hegseth.
"I still don't believe the background check was completed," Reed added.