WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s defense secretary in a dramatic late-night vote, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women.
Vice President JD Vance was on hand to cast a tiebreaking vote, unusual in the Senate for Cabinet nominees, who typically win wider support. Hegseth himself was at the Capitol with his family.
Earlier, the Senate advanced the nomination of Pete Hegseth as President Trump’s defense secretary on a largely party-line vote, despite grave objections from Democrats and stirring unease among Republicans over his behavior and qualifications to lead the U.S. military.
Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks with Trump and his allies who have mounted an extensive public campaign to push Hegseth toward confirmation.
The former combat veteran and Fox News host faces allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women, which he has denied.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored his colleagues to think seriously, “Is this the best man we have to lead the greatest military in the world?”
Murkowksi, in a lengthy statement, said that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the military.
“I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” Murkowski wrote on social media.
Both Murkowski and Collins noted Hegseth’s past statements that women should not fill military combat roles. He sought to temper those statements during the confirmation process.
Collins said that while she appreciates Hegseth’s “courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our service members and their families, ”I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.”
Rarely has a Cabinet choice encountered such swirling allegations of wrongdoing. The outcome provides a measure of Trump’s power and a test for the Senate as it considers the president’s other outsider Cabinet picks, including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for Health and Human Services, Kash Patel at the FBI and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of the Office of National Intelligence.
Republican senators, and some Democrats, appear ready to give the president his team. Only Matt Gaetz, the former congressman who was Trump’s initial choice for attorney general, was met with enough resistance that his nomination was withdrawn.
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