Senate is preparing to confirm Hegseth as defense secretary in late evening vote

By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is muscling Pete Hegseth’s nomination arsenic defence caput toward confirmation Friday, prioritizing his vow to make a “warrior culture” astatine the Pentagon implicit allegations of dense drinking and assertive behavior toward women.

With votes expected precocious successful the evening, the Republican-led Senate is determined to instal Hegseth, a erstwhile Fox News big and combat veteran, and circular retired President Donald Trump’s apical nationalist information Cabinet officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe won confirmation wrong days of Trump’s instrumentality to the White House.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune opened Friday’s league saying that Hegseth, arsenic a seasoned of the Army National Guard who served tours successful Iraq and Afghanistan, “will bring a warrior’s perspective” to the apical subject job.

“Gone volition beryllium the days of woke distractions,” Thune said, referring to the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being slashed crossed the national government. “The Pentagon’s absorption volition beryllium connected warfare fighting.”

The Senate’s quality to corroborate Hegseth contempt a sedate bid of allegations against him volition supply a measurement of Trump’s governmental powerfulness and quality to get what helium wants from the GOP-led Congress, and usage the potency of the civilization wars to substance his docket astatine the White House.

Next week senators volition beryllium facing Trump’s different outside Cabinet choices including peculiarly Kash Patel, a Trump state who has published an enemies list, arsenic the FBI director; Tulsi Gabbard arsenic manager of the bureau of nationalist intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, the anti-vaccine advocator astatine Health and Human Services.

So far, Trump’s nominees are mostly connected track.

Democrats, arsenic the number party, person small powerfulness to halt Hegesth, and alternatively person resorted to dragging retired the process.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said during the statement determination are fewer Trump nominees arsenic “dangerously and woefully unqualified arsenic Hegesth.”

Hegseth faces allegations that helium sexually assaulted a woman astatine a Republican league successful California, though helium has denied the claims and said the brushwood was consensual. He aboriginal paid $50,000 to the woman.

More recently, Hegseth’s erstwhile sister-in-law said successful an affidavit that helium was abusive to his 2nd woman to the constituent that she feared for her safety. Hegseth has denied the allegation, and successful divorcement proceedings, neither Hegseth nor the pistillate claimed to beryllium a unfortunate of home abuse.

But Republican senators person stood by Hegseth, echoing his claims of a “smear” run against him.

A Princeton and Harvard graduate, Hegseth represents a newer procreation of veterans who came of property successful the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He went connected to a vocation astatine Fox News arsenic the big of a play show, and was chartless to galore connected Capitol Hill until Trump tapped him for the apical Defense job.

Hegseth’s comments that women should person nary relation successful subject combat drew peculiar interest connected Capitol Hill, including from lawmakers who themselves served. He has since tempered those views arsenic helium met with senators during the confirmation process.

All but 2 Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, person stood by Hegseth amid an avalanche of unit from Trump’s allies — and their ain chap GOP senators — to backmost Trump’s nominees oregon look recrimination.

Murkowski said successful a lengthy connection up of a trial ballot connected Hegseth that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the military.

“I stay acrophobic astir the connection that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women presently serving and those aspiring to join,” Murkowski wrote connected societal media.

Collins said that aft a lengthy treatment with Hegseth, “I americium not convinced that his presumption connected women serving successful combat roles has changed.”

But 1 salient Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a combat seasoned and intersexual battle survivor, came nether harsh disapproval for her skepticism toward Hegseth and yet announced she would backmost him.

“It’d definite beryllium adjuvant if Republicans stood unneurotic to corroborate Trump’s cabinet,” chap GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted online up of Friday’s voting.

Hegseth would pb an enactment with astir 2.1 cardinal work members, astir 780,000 civilians and a fund of $850 billion.

During a fiery confirmation hearing, Hegseth dismissed allegations of wrongdoing 1 by one, and vowed to bring “warrior culture” to the apical Pentagon post.

Hegseth has promised not to portion connected the occupation if confirmed.

In exercising its counsel and consent relation implicit Trump’s nominees, the Senate is besides trying to stave disconnected his proposition that the GOP leaders simply bash distant with the confirmation process altogether, and let him to name his Cabinet choices erstwhile the Congress is connected recess.

Trump raised the thought of alleged “recess appointments” during a backstage White House gathering with Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson. But that is an extreme, and perchance difficult, measurement that immoderate GOP senators privation but respective different senators connected some sides of the aisle are trying to avoid.