The US Senate has narrowly voted to substantiate Military veteran and former Fox Information host Pete Hegseth for the place of secretary of the U.S. Division of Protection, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
Hegseth obtained a 50-50 vote by the Senate on Friday night, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting in opposition to him, whereas the remaining GOP members voted for him.
The Republicans who voted in opposition to affirmation had been Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Vance, whose place consists of being president of the Senate, forged the 51st vote in favor of Hegseth.
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This marks one of many few occasions since 1975 {that a} protection secretary nominee has obtained fewer than 90 votes, reported The New York Instances, with the final time being in 2013 when then-President Barack Obama’s nominee Chuck Hagel obtained 58 sure votes.
“I assumed I used to be finished voting within the Senate,” quipped Vance on his X account, referring to his earlier function as a U.S. senator representing Ohio.
Final November, then-President-elect Donald Trump introduced that Hegseth, an creator, veteran and co-host of the Fox Information present “Fox & Associates Weekend,” can be his protection secretary nominee.
Hegseth was a polarizing selection, given his alleged historical past of alcohol abuse, allegations of sexual misconduct, and beforehand said opposition to ladies serving in fight.
Shortly after the nomination was introduced, allegations surfaced that Hegseth had sexually assaulted a lady in a California resort room in 2017; Hegseth denied any wrongdoing.
A district legal professional refused to file prices in opposition to Hegseth over the incident attributable to not having “proof past an inexpensive doubt.” Hegseth made a confidential settlement with the lady in 2023.
Throughout an hours-long listening to earlier than the Senate Armed Providers Committee earlier this month, Hegseth was grilled on a number of points, together with his failed marriages and admitted adultery, in addition to the 2017 incident.
Throughout his line of questioning, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., pointed to an e-mail despatched by Hegseth’s mom again in 2018 stating that Hegseth had “abused not directly” a number of ladies.
Hegseth’s mom later informed media shops she had written the e-mail “in haste” and with “deep feelings” and, shortly after sending this message, “retracted it with an apology e-mail.”
Earlier this week, NBC Information reported that senators obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law alleging that Hegseth had abused and threatened with violence his second spouse, Samantha Hegseth.
For her half, Samantha Hegseth informed NBC Information, “I don’t imagine your info to be correct,” including that there had been “no bodily abuse in my marriage.”
Tim Parlatore, a lawyer for Pete Hegseth, additionally dismissed the allegations in an announcement to NBC Information, saying that “Sam has by no means alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court docket paperwork acknowledging that there was no abuse and lately reaffirmed the identical throughout her FBI interview.”
On Thursday, the Senate had voted 51-49 to finish debate on Hegseth and to have a ultimate affirmation vote on the nominee, with Murkowski and Collins becoming a member of all 47 Senate Democrats to vote in opposition to Hegseth.
