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 Cupboard nominee.
“It was an excellent assembly. Individuals do not actually know this. I’ve recognized 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 Information’ 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 take heed to senators – it is a tremendous advise and consent course of — and also you hear how considerate, critical, substantive they’re on these key points that pertain to our Protection Division,” he continued. “And Joni Ernst is entrance and heart on that. So to capable of have telephone calls and conferences time and time once more to speak over the problems is admittedly, actually essential. The truth that she’s prepared to assist me via 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 Protection Secretary, provides a thumbs-up as he walks together with his spouse Jennifer Hegseth, left, to fulfill with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, on the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photograph/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Photograph/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 consuming 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.
PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE WILL BE ‘STANDING RIGHT HERE IN THIS FIGHT’ AFTER MEETING WITH SENATORS
Amongst Hegseth’s conferences on Monday, he once more met with Ernst, who sits on the Senate Armed Providers Committee, after assembly together with her final week.
Final 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 an announcement Monday that “as I assist Pete via this course of, I look ahead to a good listening to primarily based on reality, 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 girls – primarily based on high quality and requirements, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to stop sexual assault inside the ranks.”
Secretary of Protection nominee Pete Hegseth joins Fox Information Sean Hannity. (Fox Information)
Trump nominated Hegseth, a former Nationwide Guard officer, as secretary of defense last month, saying “with Pete on the helm, America’s enemies are on discover — Our Army can be Nice Once more, and America will By no means Again Down.” Hegseth was a bunch on “Fox & Associates Weekend” earlier than Trump’s nomination.
Fox Information Digital reported Sunday, following Ernst’s preliminary hesitation to assist Hegseth, that Trump’s allies have been anticipated to ramp up criticisms in opposition to her as she stalls on providing assist to Trump’s secretary of protection decide.
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“It is actually this easy: In the event you oppose President Trump’s nominees, you oppose the Trump agenda and there can be a political worth to pay for that. We’re properly conscious that there are particular institution Senators making an attempt 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 prime Trump ally informed Fox Information 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 Pictures)
Hegseth continued in his interview with Hannity that he may even 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 can be assembly with Sen. Collins on Wednesday and Sen. Murkowski on Tuesday. And let me inform you, Sean, the founders received this proper. This isn’t a trivial course of. This can be a actual factor: advise and consent of a nominee who the president has chosen. And I am so grateful that President Trump would have the religion in me to guide the Protection Division, to decide on me to do this. However this advise and consent course of, assembly with all of the members of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, and so they all have nice questions, and my solutions are for them,” Hegseth mentioned.
The SecDef nominee also pushed back on claims of impropriety through the interview, arguing “the left is making an attempt to show this right into a trial within the media – present trial – and we’re not going to let that occur.”
“I’ll stroll into the door of each one among these senators with simply, as an open ebook, 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 look ahead to incomes these votes. That is what it is about, in the end incomes the votes via the committee and thru your entire U.S. Senate,” he mentioned.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be protection secretary, is joined by his spouse Jennifer Hegseth, as they stroll via the basement of the Capitol, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photograph/Mark Schiefelbein) (AP Photograph/Mark Schiefelbein)
Experiences 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 have been “disturbing.” Trump bucked the claims when he doubled down on his assist of Hegseth in a Reality Social submit on Friday, whereas Vice President-elect JD Vance additionally mentioned the Trump workforce 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 Enviornment on August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. The rally, held in partnership with Turning Level PAC and Turning Level Motion, comes come two weeks after Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Harris held a rally on the similar location. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Pictures)
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”Pete Hegseth is doing very properly. His assist is robust and deep,” Trump wrote on Reality Social on Friday. “He can be a incredible, excessive power, Secretary of Protection, one who leads with charisma and ability. Pete is a WINNER, and there’s nothing that may be carried out to vary that!!!”
Fox Information Digital’s Cameron Cawthorne and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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