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Hegseth Confirmed As Secretary of Defense After Chaotic Process

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By Daily Caller. Pete Hegseth was confirmed Friday as the 29th secretary of Defense after a contentious Senate confirmation process.

The vote was split down party lines, with 50 votes for and 50 votes against and Vice President JD Vance set to break the tie, according to the unofficial tally. Hegseth will oversee the U.S. armed forces’ domestic and foreign activities as its civilian head.

“Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who was rumored to have defected with his vote, said on X Friday. “I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”

Republican defections included Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins.

Hegseth’s confirmation hearing was tense, as his allegations of sexual assault and past comments on women’s role in the military drew harsh attacks from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Despite the attacks, he drew praise from his Republican colleagues for his performance. (Read more from “Hegseth Confirmed As Secretary of Defense After Chaotic Process” HERE)

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Hegseth confirmed: Vance comes to rescue after McConnell rebellion forces tiebreaker

By Washington Examiner. Pete Hegseth will be the next secretary of defense after Vice President JD Vance cast a historic vote to save his confirmation when Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rejected the nominee at the last hour.

The turbulent nomination threatened to split Republicans on one of President Donald Trump’s most consequential Cabinet picks and sets up a tense future as McConnell surprised his conference in voting “no” a day after supporting moving the process forward.

In a vote that fell mostly along party lines, the upper chamber voted 51-50 to confirm Hegseth to run the Pentagon and its sprawling, $840 billion budget.

McConnell, the former GOP leader, emerged as a surprise “no” vote on Friday, joining Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in opposition. Their defections forced Vance to travel to the Capitol to cast his first tiebreaker as vice president.

McConnell issued a lengthy statement defending his rejection of Hegseth, highlighting the charged geopolitical moment and the “gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II.” (Read more from “Hegseth confirmed: Vance comes to rescue after McConnell rebellion forces tiebreaker” HERE)

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Pete Hegseth Clears Major Procedural Hurdle — One Step Closer to Confirmation

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Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth got one step closer to confirmation after his nomination passed a major procedural hurdle on Thursday afternoon.

The full Senate voted 51-49 to consider Hegseth’s nomination, which will likely take place Friday evening.

Hegseth’s nomination advanced despite a last-ditch effort by Senate Democrats to derail it.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that Hegseth’s estranged ex-sister-in-law claimed he was abusive towards his ex-wife Samantha Deering — despite Deering telling NBC News that there was no abuse in their marriage and what they were planning to report was “inaccurate.”

Furthermore, both the ex-sister-in-law, Danielle Dietrich — who was married to and divorced from Hegseth’s brother, and Deering were interviewed by the FBI for Hegseth’s background investigation, and the investigation results came back as “unremarkable.” (Read more from “Pete Hegseth Clears Major Procedural Hurdle — One Step Closer to Confirmation” HERE)

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How the NBC News Hit Piece Against Pete Hegseth Just Got Worse, But for a Different Reason

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You cannot make this up: one of the NBC News reporters who wrote the shoddy hit piece against President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense is accused in an internal complaint of making false claims of sexism and misogyny.

You read that right. And she then had the balls to run with this cockamamie story of Mr. Hegseth reportedly being threatening toward his second wife, who later refuted the allegations, characterizing them as inaccurate information. NBC News ran with it anyway. To boot, the allegations weren’t even brought forward by Mr. Hegseth’s ex-wife but by the ex-spouse of his brother. Are you kidding me?

(Read more from “How the NBC News Hit Piece Against Pete Hegseth Just Got Worse, But for a Different Reason” HERE)

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Why the Latest Pete Hegseth Character Assassination Attempt Lasted About Two Seconds

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Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be the next secretary of defense would be a partisan vote, advancing to the Senate on a 14-13 vote from the Armed Services Committee. The Democrats failed to derail one of President Trump’s top picks, but that doesn’t mean there will be Hail Mary attempts to stop Hegseth. We have another character assassination attempt at the zero hour, where the ex-wife of Hegseth’s brother alleges a bunch of nonsense that’s so laughable it’s not worthy of being mentioned. Read the NBC News article, but notice how they bury the most important part of the story [emphasis mine]:

Senators received an affidavit Tuesday from the former sister-in-law of defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in which she says his behavior caused his second wife to fear for her safety. The receipt of the affidavit comes after Senate Armed Services Committee staffers were in contact with Hegseth’s former sister-in-law for several days.

The former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, submitted the affidavit in response to a Jan. 18 letter from Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., seeking “a statement attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.”

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Danielle describes in the affidavit allegations of volatile and threatening conduct by Hegseth that made his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, fear for her safety. Among the allegations are that Samantha hid in a closet once from Hegseth, that she developed escape plans for use “if she felt she needed to get away from Hegseth” that would be activated with a code word and that she did once put the escape plans into action.

At least 15 senators — including multiple Republicans — had reviewed the affidavit as of 2:30 p.m. ET, according to a Senate staffer.

Two days before Congress received the affidavit, NBC News asked Hegseth’s second wife, Samantha Hegseth, to comment on details of some of the allegations in the affidavit.

(Read more from “Why the Latest Pete Hegseth Character Assassination Attempt Lasted About Two Seconds” HERE)

Dem Senator Who Attacked Hegseth Over Christian Tattoo Has Ties To Hamas Apologist Org

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Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is attacking a Trump administration nominee’s Christian views despite her yearslong partnership with a radical Muslim group.

Warren sent a critical letter to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth before he testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, questioning his fitness based in part on Christian tattoos that she labeled extremist and became a topic of the hearing. However, Warren spent years backing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which calls itself a Muslim civil rights organization, before she went quiet as the White House denounced CAIR for sympathizing with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

A CAIR press release published days after the attacks said Israeli oppression was the “root cause” of Hamas’s violence. The White House condemned the group in December 2023 after National Executive Director Nihad Awad said he was “happy to see” Palestinians breaking their “shackles” when Hamas invaded Israel, killed more than 1,100 people, raped women and took hundreds of hostages. Awad later claimed his words were taken out of context and that CAIR does not approve of Hamas killing civilians.

Zahra Billoo, the executive director of CAIR San Francisco, made headlines last year by saying Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s “martyrdom will not be in vain.” (Read more from “Dem Senator Who Attacked Hegseth Over Christian Tattoo Has Ties To Hamas Apologist Org” HERE)

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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)

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Laughter Erupts During Senate Hearing As Pete Hegseth Quips About His Military Service In Response To Elizabeth Warren

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Laughter erupted during the Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday as Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth retorted Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s questioning.

Hegseth has publicly expressed his belief that military generals should be banned from serving in the defense industry for 10 years after their departure from service, leading the senator to ask if he would commit to that same standard after exiting his potential role as the next defense secretary. After Warren pressed him on the topic, Hegseth concluded his response with a quip about his military record.

“But the question I have for you is, will you put your money where your mouth is and agree that when you leave this job, you will not work for the defense industry for 10 years?” Warren asked.

“Senator, it’s not even a question I’ve thought about,” Hegseth said. “Because it’s not one, my motivation for this job has never been about what could conceivably come next.”

The Massachusetts senator interrupted Hegseth to accuse him of not living up to his own standards. (Read more from “Laughter Erupts During Senate Hearing As Pete Hegseth Quips About His Military Service In Response To Elizabeth Warren” HERE)

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‘Pete’s A Patriot’: More Than 100 Veterans And Supporters Rally For Hegseth’s Pentagon Nomination

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More than 100 former Navy SEALs, military veterans, and other supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. on Monday to back Pete Hegseth’s nomination as the next secretary of defense. The rally comes ahead of Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

“These are warfighters. That’s who support[s] Pete. That’s who’s on this podium. These are men and women who put it on the line for our country. And they’re telling you the way it is,” former Navy SEAL Bill Brown said.

Monday’s presser comes amid a series of unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing in the workplace leveled against Hegseth by alleged anonymous sources leading up to Tuesday’s confirmation hearing. Laundered by America’s corrupt corporate media, some of these claims appear to stem from a former disgruntled employee. They have also been heavily disputed by Hegseth’s former colleagues and associates.

A woman also previously accused Hegseth of sexual assault following a purported 2017 sexual encounter between the two. Prosecutors declined to press charges due to a lack of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to reports.

Several veterans in Monday’s gathering are former Navy SEALs who participated in the GI Go Fund’s Navy SEAL Hudson River Swims, a charity event involving former SEALs, “fellow veterans and military supporters in a swim across the Hudson River to honor our military veterans, their families, and all of those who died during 9/11 and the wars that followed that fateful day.” Hegseth previously partook in the swim during his time as a Fox News host. (Read more from “‘Pete’s A Patriot’: More Than 100 Veterans And Supporters Rally For Hegseth’s Pentagon Nomination” HERE)

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West Point Refuses to Say if Officials Who Spread False Info About Pete Hegseth’s Academy Record Will Be Punished

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West Point is refusing to disclose whether school officials who gave false information to legacy media about Pete Hegseth’s acceptance into the academy will face disciplinary action for their conduct, The Federalist has learned.

The entire saga came to fruition on Wednesday morning, when Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, posted screenshots of his 1999 acceptance letter into West Point on X. In the caption accompanying the images, the Army veteran wrote, “We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999. Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army.”

As noted by the former Fox News host, ProPublica is radical left-wing “news” organization that acts as a PR operation for the Democrat Party and its interests. Bankrolled by the left’s dark money network and staffed with Democrat partisans, the outlet has spent the last year leading a seemingly coordinated smear campaign against Supreme Court Justices Samual Alito and Clarence Thomas.

Responding to Hegseth’s tweet in a condescending X thread, ProPublica Senior Editor and Reporter Jesse Eisinger — who edited ProPublica’s Pulitzer Prize-winning hit pieces against the conservative justices — effectively admitted the left-wing outlet was looking into running a hatchet job against Hegseth based on the Army veteran’s “different statements over the years about West Point, where he has said he was admitted.”

Eisinger claimed ProPublica first reached out to West Point’s public affairs office to inquire about Hegseth’s acceptance into the academy and was informed by a representative, “According to the admissions office – Hegseth had not applied for admission to the U.S. Military Academy.” Eisinger contended the leftist outlet subsequently called the academy “to ask if that meant that Hegseth had never been admitted,” and was purportedly told by a second West Point representative, “Absolutely 100%. Because he never opened a file.” (Read more from “West Point Refuses to Say if Officials Who Spread False Info About Pete Hegseth’s Academy Record Will Be Punished” HERE)

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‘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)

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