GOP proceeds with Pete Hegseth nomination after ‘abuse’ report

Republicans pushed guardant with Pete Hegseth’s nomination arsenic caput of defence connected Wednesday adjacent aft a damaging study emerged claiming that his 2nd woman lived successful fearfulness of his “abuse.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said helium plans to get the afloat Senate to clasp a last confirmation vote connected Hegseth earlier the extremity of the week.

There are scant signs of immoderate Republican defections that would endanger Hegseth’s nomination, adjacent aft his first woman wrote successful a sworn statement to the Senate that his 2nd woman feared for her information owed to his abusive behavior.

Danielle Hegseth said that Samantha Hegseth, who succeeded her arsenic his spouse, told her that she feared Pete Hegseth and they adjacent created a alleged harmless connection to study abuse.

“I judge what Samantha told maine due to the fact that what she told maine is accordant with what I personally observed of Hegseth’s erratic and assertive behaviour implicit galore years,” Danielle Hegseth said successful the affadavit.

“I person chosen to travel guardant publicly, astatine important idiosyncratic sacrifice, due to the fact that I americium profoundly acrophobic by what Hegseth’s confirmation would mean for our subject and our country,” she added.

She said she shared the accusation with the FBI successful December but the accusation was not shared with Congress arsenic senators see Hegseth’s nomination to pb the Pentagon.

Pete Hegseth vehemently denied the accusation and Samantha Hegseth herself denies being the unfortunate of maltreatment astatine the hands of her ex.

Pete Hegseth lawyer Tim Parlatore said the connection was small much than sour grapes from an ex-wife with “an axe to grind against the full Hegseth family.”

The Hegseth information erstwhile looked similar an pugnacious combat due to the fact that of his checkered idiosyncratic history, including reports of dense drinking and accusations of enactment assault, arsenic good arsenic his hostility to women serving successful combat.

But helium allayed GOP fears with a assured show astatine his confirmation hearing.

Hegseth needs 50 votes for confirmation, meaning helium could suffer the votes of arsenic galore arsenic 3 GOP senators and inactive triumph approval. So far, nary Republicans person suggested they volition reason him and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) has said helium whitethorn enactment the nomination.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) compared the Hegseth claims to the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, which coiled up galvanizing GOP enactment for his palmy confirmation to the Supreme Court.

“I don’t truly person thing to offer,” Cornyn said. “I was progressive successful the Kavanaugh hearings, wherever radical came retired of the closet making each sorts of mendacious allegations.”