Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin expressed confidence that Pete Hegseth can be confirmed as protection secretary, regardless of opposition from GOP moderates.
Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle within the Senate on Thursday, organising a closing affirmation vote anticipated Friday night. However Republican Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, each publicly declared their opposition to his nomination, which means the GOP can solely afford another defection earlier than Hegseth’s affirmation is misplaced.
Mullin, in an interview on the “Man Benson Present” with visitor host Jason Rantz, stated there are 50 “onerous sure” votes for Hegseth to be confirmed and estimated he’ll obtain as many as 52 votes, with all Democrats and the reasonable Republicans from Alaska and Maine voting in opposition to.
“He is undoubtedly being confirmed tomorrow,” Mullin informed Rantz. “I do not know what the White Home schedule is, however I would not be shocked if he was sworn into workplace on Saturday.”
HEGSETH CLEARS SENATE HURDLE AND ADVANCES TO A FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE
Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, speaks throughout a Senate Armed Providers Committee affirmation listening to in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)
The Senate voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth’s nomination on Thursday, which triggered as much as 30 hours of debate earlier than a closing vote. President Donald Trump’s embattled protection nominee has confronted intense grilling from Democrats on his {qualifications} for the place, in addition to private questions on his consuming habits and alleged sexual misconduct, which he has vigorously denied. Hegseth has stated he would abstain from alcohol if confirmed.
Hegseth’s nomination confronted one other hurdle this week when stories emerged that his ex-sister-in-law alleged that Hegseth had abused his second spouse.
Two sources informed CNN Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, gave a press release to the FBI about Hegseth’s alleged alcohol use. The outlet stated one of many sources stated Samantha Hegseth informed the FBI, “He drinks extra typically than he doesn’t.”
On Tuesday, Fox Information obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleges he has an alcohol abuse downside and at instances made his ex-wife, Samantha, concern for her security. Danielle Hegseth was beforehand married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and has no relation to Samantha.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s option to be Protection secretary, on the completion of his affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Armed Providers Committee, on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tues., Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Picture/Ben Curtis)
However Danielle Hegseth added that she by no means witnessed any abuse herself, bodily or sexual, by Pete in opposition to Samantha.
Samantha Hegseth has additionally denied any bodily abuse in a press release to NBC Information.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Hegseth at a information convention on Thursday and urged Republicans to affix Democrats in opposition to the previous Fox Information host and Military nationwide guardsman.
“Hegseth is so totally unqualified, he ranks up there [as] … one of many very worst nominees that might be put ahead,” Schumer stated.
HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., known as out Democratic senators’ hypocrisy in the course of the Senate affirmation listening to for U.S. Protection Secretary candidate Pete Hegseth (Screenshot/Fox Information Channel)
“Individuals’s lives rely on it — civilians and, after all, the women and men within the armed companies — and Pete Hegseth has proven himself not solely incapable of working a big group, he typically exhibits himself incapable of displaying up or displaying up in a method the place he might get something accomplished. He’s so out of the mainstream and so unqualified for DOD that I’m hopeful we’ll get our Republican colleagues to affix us.”
Mullin predicted that after Hegseth is confirmed, Democrats will flip their consideration to a different of Trump’s nominees, Tulsi Gabbard, who’s the president’s option to be director of nationwide intelligence.
“I believe they will flip their consideration from Pete straight to Tulsi Gabbad,” Mullin stated, noting that Gabbard’s affirmation listening to is scheduled for subsequent week. “They went from Matt Gaetz to Pete Hegseth. Now they will go to Tulsi, after which after that I am positive they’re going to in all probability transfer on to [health secretary nominee] Bobby Kennedy.”
The Oklahoma Republican additionally instructed that Democratic senators who might harbor presidential ambitions stand to achieve from making a present of opposition to Trump’s nominees.
“You will have all these Democrat senators now which are leaping up and down wanting consideration to allow them to be the champion of the Democrat Celebration. What they do not understand is the place they took beneath Biden and when Trump was in workplace is strictly why they obtained kicked out of workplace.”
Fox Information Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
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