President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of protection, Pete Hegseth, celebrated that he had a “nice assembly” with Sen. Joni Ernst after the Iowa Republican slow-walked an endorsement of the Cabinet nominee.
“It was a fantastic assembly. People do not actually know this. I’ve identified Sen. Ernst for over 10 years. I knew her when she was a state senator operating to be the primary feminine fight veteran,” Hegseth informed Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an unique interview Monday night. “And we supported her in that effort, and have continued to.”
“You get into these conferences and also you to hearken to senators – it is an incredible advise and consent course of — and also you hear how considerate, severe, substantive they’re on these key points that pertain to our Defense Department,” he continued. “And Joni Ernst is entrance and middle on that. So to capable of have cellphone calls and conferences time and time once more to speak over the problems is de facto, actually vital. The proven fact that she’s prepared to assist me by way of this course of means quite a bit.”
AFTER SECOND MEETING WITH HEGSETH, ERNST HINTS AT WHETHER SHE WILL OR WON’T SUPPORT CONFIRMATION
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, offers a thumbs-up as he walks together with his spouse Jennifer Rauchet, left, to satisfy with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Hegseth has been spending his days on Capitol Hill assembly with Republican senators to rally assist as he battles allegations of sexual misconduct, extreme ingesting and mismanaging a veterans nonprofit group. Hegseth has denied the allegations and vowed that he will not drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to Trump’s cupboard.
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Among Hegseth’s conferences on Monday, he once more met with Ernst, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, after assembly together with her final week.
Last week, Ernst withheld committing to voting in favor of Hegseth, however hinted Monday that she is starting to support the Trump nominee.
Ernst wrote in a press release Monday that “as I assist Pete by way of this course of, I stay up for a good listening to based mostly on fact, not nameless sources.”
She added in her assertion that “following our encouraging conversations, Pete dedicated to finishing a full audit of the Pentagon and choosing a senior official who will uphold the roles and worth of our servicemen and ladies – based mostly on high quality and requirements, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to stop sexual assault inside the ranks.”
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth joins Fox News Sean Hannity. (Fox News)
Trump nominated Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, as secretary of defense last month, saying “with Pete on the helm, America’s enemies are on discover — Our Military will probably be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.” Hegseth was a number on “Fox & Friends Weekend” earlier than Trump’s nomination.
Fox News Digital reported Sunday, following Ernst’s preliminary hesitation to assist Hegseth, that Trump’s allies had been anticipated to ramp up criticisms in opposition to her as she stalls on providing assist to Trump’s secretary of protection choose.
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“It’s actually this easy: If you oppose President Trump’s nominees, you oppose the Trump agenda and there will probably be a political worth to pay for that. We are properly conscious that there are specific institution Senators attempting to tank the President’s nominees to make him look weak and injury him politically, and we’re simply not going to permit that to occur,” a high Trump ally informed Fox News Digital.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican coverage luncheon within the U.S. Capitol on February 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Hegseth continued in his interview with Hannity that he may also meet with Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who Hannity recognized as a pair of extra liberal Republican senators in comparison with their colleagues.
“We will probably be assembly with Sen. Collins on Wednesday and Sen. Murkowski on Tuesday. And let me inform you, Sean, the founders obtained this proper. This shouldn’t be a trivial course of. This is an actual factor: advise and consent of a nominee who the president has chosen. And I’m so grateful that President Trump would have the religion in me to guide the Defense Department, to decide on me to try this. But this advise and consent course of, assembly with all of the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, they usually all have nice questions, and my solutions are for them,” Hegseth stated.
The SecDef nominee also pushed back on claims of impropriety through the interview, arguing “the left is attempting to show this right into a trial within the media – present trial – and we’re not going to let that occur.”
“I’m going to stroll into the door of each considered one of these senators with simply, as an open e-book, prepared to reply their questions, as a result of they deserve solutions. … I’ve heard nice issues about all of those senators and the questions they need to ask, and we stay up for incomes these votes. That’s what it is about, in the end incomes the votes by way of the committee and thru your complete U.S. Senate,” he stated.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be protection secretary, is joined by his spouse Jennifer Rauchet, as they stroll by way of the basement of the Capitol, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Reports surfaced final week alleging Trump had misplaced religion in his nominee as Democrats slammed the selection and a few Republicans, akin to Sen. Lindsey Graham, remarked the allegations in opposition to Hegseth had been “disturbing.” Trump bucked the claims when he doubled down on his assist of Hegseth in a Truth Social put up on Friday, whereas Vice President-elect JD Vance additionally stated the Trump staff is “not abandoning this nomination.”
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage throughout a marketing campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. The rally, held in partnership with Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action, comes come two weeks after Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Harris held a rally on the identical location. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
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”Pete Hegseth is doing very properly. His assist is powerful and deep,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “He will probably be a incredible, excessive vitality, Secretary of Defense, one who leads with charisma and ability. Pete is a WINNER, and there’s nothing that may be finished to alter that!!!”
Fox News Digital’s Cameron Cawthorne and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
