Hegseth has votes to be confirmed as defense secretary: Report

Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., informed President-elect Donald Trump that he believes Pete Hegseth will have the votes to be confirmed as secretary of defense, according to a report from CBS News. While the message was relayed privately to the president-elect, Thune is saying publicly that he still doesn’t have clarity on how Hegseth’s confirmation will go once it reaches the Armed Services Committee.

“I think these are nominees who are new enough, they’ve been going around and conducting their meetings, which I think, frankly, have gone very well, but they still have to make their case in front of the committee,” Thune said on “Face the Nation.” “We don’t know all the information about some of these nominees.”

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Hegseth was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017, however, the police declined to charge him after an investigation. He entered into a non-disclosure agreement with his accuser and has maintained that the encounter was consensual. 

Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee is scheduled for Jan. 14.  

Republicans have warned Hegseth the hearing will mirror those of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was also accused of sexual misconduct. 

According to a report in The Hill, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Hegseth it will be a “miserable experience” while Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said it will be “Kavanaugh on steroids.”

Hegseth can be confirmed with 50 votes, with Vice President-elect JD Vance breaking a tie. Multiple Republicans privately expressed concern about the allegations against Hegseth, as well as his drinking habits. 

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a military veteran and sexual assault survivor, was one of the biggest question marks. In mid-December, she put out a statement that said she supports him through the confirmation hearing and looks forward to a fair hearing based on the truth, not anonymous sources.