Senate Republicans say Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s alternative to move the Protection Division, faces a really robust path to affirmation within the Senate and his bleak prospects have been communicated on to the Trump transition staff, which is now mulling different choices.
Senate sources say there’s a block of probably “hard no’s” within the Senate GOP convention and establish Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as lawmakers who view Hegseth’s nomination very skeptically.
“I don’t know that there’s a real clear path,” mentioned one Republican senator, who added that colleagues “are very apprehensive” about Hegseth’s nomination.
“It’s damaging to the president,” the senator added. “It doesn’t help us in the Senate.”
Hegseth on Wednesday waged a big effort to salvage his nomination, together with by pledging to Republican senators that he would cease ingesting if confirmed as secretary of Protection.
And a few Republican senators, even those that are protection hawks, assume Hegseth might be a sensible choice to steer the Pentagon, citing his background as a adorned fight veteran and his lack of deep connections to the Protection Division’s community of generals who have a tendency to withstand huge modifications.
However Republicans are additionally hoping to be spared the headache and embarrassment of public affirmation hearings through which ladies who’ve accused Hegseth of sexual misconduct or former colleagues who’ve accused him of unprofessional conduct may testify.
GOP lawmakers say they don’t need to publicly name for Hegseth to resign primarily based on nameless allegations. They argue {that a} key distinction between Hegseth and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who lately dropped his bid to turn into legal professional common, is that Hegseth’s accusers haven’t testified in sworn depositions like Gaetz’s accusers did.
However the accumulation of damaging allegations towards the nominee is alarming Republican senators.
A second GOP senator mentioned Hegseth seems “headed” for defeat within the Senate Armed Providers Committee or on the Senate ground if he doesn’t withdraw.
The lawmaker mentioned Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump ally, has floated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as a attainable various to Hegseth.
One other Republican senator conversant in Trump’s deliberations over what to do about Hegseth’s nomination mentioned the president-elect himself floated DeSantis’s identify as a possible alternative to a gaggle of individuals.
“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Graham advised CBS Information on Tuesday. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult.”
Requested Wednesday about his conversations with Trump, Graham advised The Hill: “I said to him what I said to everybody else.”
Graham argued that Hegseth ought to have an opportunity to defend himself from allegations of sexual and monetary misconduct and extreme ingesting.
“I’ve known him for a long time. All this stuff is new to me. I’m not going to tank him because of anonymous sources. Somebody’s got to come forward and make a credible allegation. He deserves a chance to defend himself. Those accusing him of something need to come forward,” Graham mentioned.
“The allegations are anonymous. If they’re true, he’ll have a hard time,” he mentioned.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, mentioned Hegseth must put a tough cease to his ingesting.
“I need to be convinced he’s not going to drink anymore. I know it sounds oversimplistic but I also think it contributes to all of his other problems, his substance abuse. I’m way too familiar with it in my own family and nobody wants a secretary of Defense that’s got a drinking problem,” Cramer mentioned.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the incoming chair of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, mentioned Hegseth pledged to him at a gathering Wednesday morning that he would cease ingesting if confirmed.
“I think that’s probably a good idea,” Wicker advised reporters.
Two sources conversant in the matter confirmed to The Hill that Trump is weighing various choices within the occasion Hegseth is pressured to withdraw, although Trump has not but signaled he’s giving up on Hegseth.
Trump has spoken with DeSantis concerning the prospect of the highest Pentagon job, and DeSantis is open to the position, one supply mentioned. DeSantis served within the Navy and is aligned with Trump’s imaginative and prescient to eradicate “woke” points of the army.
Trump and DeSantis noticed one another Tuesday at a memorial for fallen Florida regulation enforcement officers.
Different names which were floated for the position embody Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Elbridge Colby, who served in a deputy position within the Protection Division throughout Trump’s first time period.
One Senate Republican aide mentioned Ernst has to proceed extraordinarily fastidiously in how she handles Hegseth’s nomination if she needs to get the nod as Trump’s Plan B to steer the Protection Division.
The supply warned that Ernst would enrage Trump’s MAGA base if she’s considered because the senator chargeable for sinking Hegseth’s nomination.
Ernst advised reporters she had a “frank and thorough” dialog with Hegseth after assembly with him for 45 minutes Wednesday afternoon. She declined to entertain any hypothesis about her main the Protection Division if Hegseth flames out.
“Pete is the nominee,” she mentioned.
Hegseth has proven no indicators of backing down.
He penned a Wall Avenue Journal op-ed claiming he was the goal of a “manufactured media takedown.”
He went on Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM present, the place he mentioned Trump reiterated his help throughout a dialog earlier Wednesday and likened his state of affairs to that of Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court docket justice who was confirmed after a bitter course of through which he was accused of sexual assault.
Hegseth’s mom, Penelope Hegseth, appeared on “Fox & Friends” to push again on a New York Occasions report about an e mail she despatched her son in 2017 criticizing his remedy of girls. She has since mentioned she regretted sending the notice.
Penelope Hegseth particularly used the looks on Fox to attraction to feminine senators, who she urged to maintain an open thoughts about her son’s nomination.
“He’s a changed man. And I just hope people will get to know who Pete is today,” Penelope Hegseth mentioned. “Especially our dear female senators. That you would listen to him. Listen with your heart to the truth of Pete.”
One supply in Trump’s orbit famous the media blitz was uncommon for the president-elect’s nominees. Not even Gaetz went on tv to attempt to salvage his nomination because it faltered.
One Senate GOP aide warned that Hegseth faces a block of “hard no’s” within the convention, whereas a second GOP aide predicted that extra damaging revelations are more likely to floor.
“It could always get worse,” mentioned the second aide. “The FBI background check is not going to be fun.”
Al Weaver contributed.
