Two Republican senators say they believe Pete Hegseth will receive the votes to be confirmed as the next U.S. defense secretary after a contentious hearing on Tuesday.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., join "The Ingraham Angle" to share their thoughts on Hegers being elected An assessment of the path ahead for members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet.
"I believe, without question, that Pete will be confirmed, and I think you're going to have strong support from all Republicans, men and women," Mullin said. "I think he's the right man for the job, and President Trump has done a great job selecting him to be the next secretary of defense."
5 Big Moments from Pete Hegseth’s Senate Confirmation Hearings
Pete Hegseth, 21st Century Fox military analyst and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, speaks before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., U.S., Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images during confirmation hearing (Nishimura Ken)
Mullin also praised his fellow Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who initially expressed doubts about Hegers' nomination because of his comments about women in combat. and accused him of sexual misconduct. Hegseth denies the accusations.
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The former "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host said on her podcast in early November that the United States "should not be putting women in combat roles."
"It doesn't make us more efficient. It doesn't make us more lethal. It makes the fight more complicated," he said on an episode of "The Sean Ryan Show."
Ernst, herself a veteran and sexual assault survivor, met with Hegseth several times before her confirmation hearings and then endorsed Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon on Tuesday night.
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst speaks with reporters after the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on February 14, 2023 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Cotton told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that he believed Hegseth's vote was pending Senate confirmation. A vote is expected to take place sometime next week.
"I hope the Democrats won't stall or otherwise block this nomination. If they want to vote against him, that's fine, but President Trump should let his secretary of defense serve appropriately," Cotton said.
He denounced the dangers of "political correctness" and "social engineering" that are "rampant" in the military.
"Recruitment could be so low that we have a recruiting crisis and readiness is compromised. Look, our troops don't deserve to have their pronouns on their ID tags. They don't need the privilege to walk. They don't “They don’t have to take repeated training courses on diversity, equity and inclusion,” Cotton continued. “They deserve hard, realistic training to prepare them to defend this country in wartime. Pete Hegseth has conducted and conducted this training. "
The Pentagon is visible as Air Force One flies over Washington on March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Several Democratic senators grilled Hegseth about his experience running two veteran nonprofits and his financial mismanagement during his time at Concerned Veterans of America and Liberty Veterans.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., pressed the veteran on his qualifications and experience in leadership positions.
"We're basically hiring you to be the CEO of one of the most complex, largest organizations in the world. We're the board of directors here," Peters said, pointing to his colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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He added: "I don't think there's a board in America that would hire you as CEO because you have that kind of experience on your resume."