Hegseth was questioned by the House Armed Services Committee about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon. The Fox anchor was accused of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women. Vice President Vance supported Hegseth’s confirmation with his vote.
The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense late Friday in a dramatic tie vote. Senators dismissed concerns about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon. The former host of the conservative news channel FOX had been accused of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women.
In a dramatic vote, Vice President J.D. Vance had to bring about the decision in favor of Hegseth because the Senate was tied. 50 senators voted for confirmation as Secretary, 50 senators rejected him.
Broader bipartisan support is usually common for the confirmation of cabinet members and especially Secretary of Defense. Hegseth himself was in the Capitol with his family.
Rarely has a Cabinet candidate faced such far-reaching concerns about his experience and conduct as Hegseth.
However, the Republican Senate majority was determined to confirm Hegseth, a former FOXNews anchor and war veteran who had vowed to introduce a “war culture.”
“We have a great Secretary of Defense and we’re very fortunate,” President Trump said as he boarded Air Force One.
Trump said he didn’t care that Senator Mitch McConnell, the influential former Republican Party leader, voted against Hegseth with two other Republicans, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Senator Susan Collins of Maine, because “the most important thing is to win.”
That the Senate was able to confirm Hegseth despite a number of serious allegations against him shows Trump’s political power and ability to get what he wants from the Republican majority in both houses of Congress.
Only once before has the vice president had to break a tie in a Cabinet nomination – during Trump’s first term, when Vice President Mike Pence cast the vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education.
In the coming week, senators will face Trump’s other Cabinet nominees, notably Kash Patel, a Trump ally who has published an enemies list, for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard for director of the Office of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine advocate, for the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Is Pete Hegseth really the best we have to offer?” asks Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Reed urged his colleagues to seriously reconsider their vote. All Democrats opposed the nomination.
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