McConnell stands up: Voting no Pete Hegseth should be his declaration of independence from Donald Trump

As Senate bulk leader, Mitch McConnell engineered galore of the wins of Donald Trump’s archetypal term, but helium was close Friday nighttime to yet accidental nary to Trump successful opposing the unqualified Pete Hegseth to beryllium defence secretary. McConnell, who for years carried Trump’s water, indispensable present proceed to beryllium an autarkic dependable against the president’s excesses.

And that starts with a trio of different genuinely atrocious nominees: Kash Patel for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard for manager of nationalist quality and Bobby Kennedy Jr. for caput of wellness and quality services.

It was McConnell, who joined with persistent Trump GOP critics, the moderates Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, to ballot against Hegseth, showing that the bulk of senators did not privation Hegseth, making for a 50-50 tally.

It was lone the tie-breaking ballot of Vice President JD Vance to corroborate Hegseth into the awesomely almighty relation for which helium is sick equipped and unsuited.

Hegseth would person been rejected had 1 much legislator disapproved. There were signs that Thom Tillis was uneasy with the “Fox & Friends” play big starring the Pentagon, but Tillis is up for reelection successful North Carolina adjacent twelvemonth and doesn’t privation a Trump-backed superior challenge.

Hegseth has present made past successful being the archetypal person of our subject who was confirmed lone with a VP vote. Hegseth should person joined different rejected nominees similar failed caput of warfare picks Lucius Horatio Stockton successful 1801, Henry Dearborn successful 1815, James Madison Porter successful 1844 and Thomas Ewing successful 1868. And wrong surviving memory, the Senate defeated the defence caput information of John Tower successful 1989.

History doesn’t deliberation little of presidents similar John Adams, James Madison and George H.W. Bush for having their picks turned down, but if Hegseth fails, oregon does existent damage, past Trump (and the Senate) volition beryllium to blame.

In a blistering connection issued aft the vote, McConnell made airy of Hegseth’s Army work arsenic a qualification and invoked the names of erstwhile Pentagon chiefs similar the elephantine George Marshall: “Mere tendency to beryllium a ‘change agent’ is not capable to capable these shoes. And ‘dust connected boots’ fails adjacent to separate this nominee from aggregate predecessors of the past decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat acquisition and clip successful the trenches person failed astatine the job.

“Effective absorption of astir 3 cardinal subject and civilian personnel, an yearly fund of astir $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships astir the satellite is simply a regular trial with staggering consequences for the information of the American radical and our planetary interests.

“Mr. Hegseth has failed, arsenic yet, to show that helium volition walk this test. But arsenic helium assumes office, the consequences of nonaccomplishment are arsenic precocious arsenic they person ever been.

“The restoration of ‘warrior culture’ volition not travel from trading 1 acceptable of civilization warriors for another.”

Had McConnell laid this retired earlier, possibly different Republican legislator would person had the courageousness to besides accidental no. It is wide that Hegseth would person mislaid a concealed vote, but successful having to instrumentality a nationalist stand, they are excessively fearful of retribution by Trump.

But alas McConnell held his lingua and therefore, for now, we are stuck with Secretary Hegseth. We anticipation helium doesn’t marque the worst fears of McConnell a reality.