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‘I Will Be Supporting Pete’: Sen. Joni Ernst Backs Hegseth Following Conservative Pressure Campaign

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Following a widespread conservative pressure campaign, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, revealed on Tuesday evening that she will be voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of defense.

“I am breaking news. … Yes, I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth,” Ernst said during an interview on Simon Conway’s radio show.

The Iowa Republican’s announcement came hours following Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, in which he endured grotesque slanders and unhinged tirades from the body’s Democrat members. The former Fox News host also fielded policy-related questions from the panel’s GOP members, including Ernst.

Tuesday’s announcement marks a major win for Hegseth and conservative voters, the latter of whom galvanized to pressure GOP senators to confirm Hegseth following revelations that Ernst was leading a behind-the-scenes effort to nuke his nomination.

Trump world sources told The Federalist last month that Iowa’s junior senator was spearheading an “aggressive” personal jihad against Hegseth. This included Ernst making calls to Trump to convince him to dump Hegseth and enlisting Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to lobby the president-elect to replace Hegseth with Ernst. (Read more from “‘I Will Be Supporting Pete’: Sen. Joni Ernst Backs Hegseth Following Conservative Pressure Campaign” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

‘I Support Pete’: Ernst Changes Tune Following Second Hegseth Meeting

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, indicated she will confirm Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense on Monday. The announcement marks a stark pivot for Ernst, who has been leading a behind-the-scenes effort to tank Hegseth’s nomination.

“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a press release. “Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

The statement was issued following Ernst’s Monday afternoon meeting with Hegseth on Capitol Hill. The Iowa senator previously met the Army veteran to discuss his nomination to lead the Pentagon last week.

When asked about his most recent talk with Ernst, Hegseth told reporters it “was a very good meeting,” and expressed appreciation for “her commitment to the process.”

“We look forward to working together,” Hegseth said.

(Read more from “‘I Support Pete’: Ernst Changes Tune Following Second Hegseth Meeting” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump World Sources: Joni Ernst Is Waging ‘Aggressive’ Personal Jihad Against Hegseth; Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service

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By The Federalist. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has been leading an “aggressive” personal jihad against Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, multiple sources within Trump world with direct knowledge of her outreach to Trump told The Federalist on Wednesday.

Ernst’s efforts included personal calls to Trump to urge him to dump Hegseth ahead of her meeting with the Army veteran on Wednesday afternoon. Ernst did not tell Hegseth during her meeting with him about her efforts to derail his nomination, sources told The Federalist.

“She’s waging a campaign to replace Pete with herself,” a Trump source familiar with her phone calls with Trump said.

Ernst posted a tweet on X following her meeting with Hegseth on Wednesday afternoon. The Iowa senator said she “appreciate[s] Pete Hegseth’s service to our country,” and that they “had a frank and thorough conversation.” She did not, however, say whether she will support his nomination to become defense secretary.

When pressed on Wednesday by The Hill’s Alex Bolton on whether she’s interested in becoming Trump’s defense secretary, Ernst didn’t give a direct answer, instead saying, “Pete is the nominee,” according to Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio. (Read more from “Trump World Sources: Joni Ernst Is Waging ‘Aggressive’ Personal Jihad Against Hegseth” HERE)

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Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service

By The Federalist. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, previously endorsed allowing trans-identifying individuals to serve in the U.S. military, a position military specialists and reports have warned hampers the force’s overall readiness.

The recently unearthed revelation stems from comments the GOP senator made during an Aug. 9 interview on PBS’s “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover.” The host asked Ernst, an Army veteran, whether she agrees with Republicans’ sentiment that the military “has become too woke.”

Ernst said she doesn’t believe “those [who] serve in uniform” are woke but admitted that “there is civilian leadership of the military that is woke.” She then cited trans-identifying individuals serving in the armed forces as an example of those “in uniform,” and expressed belief that those who qualify should be permitted to serve in the military.

“We have transgender people serving in our military. They will bleed red just as the rest of us,” Ernst said.

The Iowa Republican subsequently pushed the baseless claim that a person can “transition” into the opposite sex, saying she doesn’t think the military should be “integrating transgender people into certain situations,” such as allowing “a transgender woman who has not transitioned” into female barracks. (Read more from “Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

After Sealed Court Records Mysteriously Leaked, Senator Ernst Denies Affair With Soldier Under Her Command

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By AP. Sen. Joni Ernst on Wednesday denied allegations leveled by her ex-husband that she had an affair with a subordinate while she served in the military. . .

Joni Ernst said Wednesday at the event that she believed the court documents would be sealed from the public and was caught off guard by news reports on the allegations.

“I would love to point the finger and say, ‘Somebody screwed up. Somebody leaked.’ But they’re out there and so now I will deal with that,” she said. “But what I want people to understand is that I am the same person as I was last week. You just know more about what’s inside of me now.” (Read more from “After Sealed Court Records Mysteriously Leaked, Senator Ernst Denies Affair With Soldier Under Her Command” HERE)

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Divorce Filing: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst Says Her Husband Physically Attacked Her

By Des Moines Register. Years before her divorce, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst was assaulted by her husband after she confronted him about his relationship with their daughter’s babysitter, she wrote in court filings.

Ernst, a Republican who represents Iowa, said that during her 26-year marriage with Gail Ernst, she was the victim of verbal and mental abuse and a physical assault after which a victim’s advocate wanted to take her to a hospital, she wrote in public records connected to their divorce. . .

In an affidavit in October, Joni Ernst described a history of emotional abuse that included her husband belittling her and becoming angry when she achieved her goals. She was interviewed by then-candidate Donald Trump to run for vice president, but she turned him down, describing the move as not the right thing for her or her family, she said.

Ernst, 48, a military veteran from Red Oak, was the first woman in Iowa elected to either chamber of Congress. She defeated Democrat Bruce Braley in 2014 to win a six-year term in the Senate after emerging victorious from a five-way Republican primary for the nomination. She has said she will seek a second term in the Senate in 2020. (Read more from “Divorce Filing: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst Says Her Husband Physically Attacked Her” HERE)

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ESPN Host Mocks Joni Ernst for Growing up Poor

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By Kristinn Taylor. Liberal icon and current ESPN host Keith Olbermann took to Twitter Wednesday night to callously mock Sen. Joni Ernst for her growing up in a poor working family in Red Oak, Iowa.

Ernst spoke of her childhood when she gave the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address . . .

Olbermann fired off ten tweets in a row mocking Ersnt after her speech, some with the hashtag #SOTUresponse, cribbed from the Monty Python sketch The Four Yorkshiremen.

Of course, we had it tough. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning…

(Read more on how Olbermann mocks Joni Ernst HERE)

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Joni Ernst Being Called ‘New Star’ for GOP Response at State of the Union

By Joe Saunders. Newly sworn-in Republican Sen. Joni Ernst delivered the party’s response to President Obama’s State of the Union address in a soft voice, but with a sharp contrast between the parties’ approach to government — and some not-so-veiled criticism of the president’s performance since taking office.

And she won praise from both ends of the political spectrum.

“I do think tonight a semi-star was born,” conservative columnist George Will told Fox News anchor Bret Baier after Ernst’s speech. “I think Senator Ernst from Iowa passed a test that others have failed. And, in doing so, she helped put a fresh face on the Republican Party.”

Fox contributor, liberal commentator Juan Williams agreed, noting that the dueling speeches marked the themes of the 2016 presidential campaign. (Read more from this story HERE)

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