Two Republican senators said they believe Pete Hegseth will get the votes to be confirmed as the next U.S. Secretary of Defense after a contentious hearing on Tuesday.
Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., joined “The Ingraham Angle” to share their reviews of Hegseth’s path to join the cabinet of newly elected President Donald Trump.
“I think Pete will be confirmed without a doubt, and I think you’ll get strong support from all Republicans, both men and women,” Mullin said. “I think he is the right person for the job, and President Trump has done a great job appointing him as the next Secretary of Defense.”
THE TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM PETE HEGSETH’S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING
Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense for newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, U.S., on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Kent Nishimura)
Mullin also praised his Republican colleague, Are. Joni ErnstR-Iowa, for throwing her support behind Hegseth after initially appearing skeptical of his nomination because of comments he made about women in combat and allegations of sexual misconduct. Hegseth denies the allegations.
The former Fox & Friends Weekend co-host said in a podcast in early November that the United States “shouldn’t have women in combat roles.”
“It hasn’t made us more effective. It hasn’t made us deadlier. It’s made fighting more complicated,” he said on an episode of the “Shawn Ryan Show.”
Ernst, himself a combat veteran and survivor of sexual assault, met Hegseth several times in the lead-up to the confirmation hearing before voicing her support for Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon on Tuesday evening.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, talks to reporters after the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Cotton told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that he believes Hegseth has the votes confirmed by the Senate. A vote is expected sometime next week.
“I hope that Democrats will not delay or otherwise obstruct this nomination. If they want to vote against him, that’s fine, but President Trump deserves to have his Secretary of Defense properly in office,” Cotton said.
He denounced the damage of “political correctness” and “social engineering” running amok in the military.
“Recruitment numbers have probably fallen to the point where we are in a recruitment crisis and that has affected preparedness. Look, our troops don’t deserve their pronouns on their ID tags. They don’t have to take privilege walks. You don’t have to go through repeated training sessions diversity, equality and inclusivityCotton continued. “What they deserve is tough, realistic training to prepare them to defend this country in time of war. The kind of training that Pete Hegseth has provided and that he provides.”
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Several Democratic senators questioned Hegseth about his experience running two veteran nonprofits and his own alleged financial mismanagement during his time with Concerned Veterans for America and Veterans for Freedom.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., pressed the military veteran on his qualifications and his experience in leadership positions.
“We are actually hiring you as CEO of one of the most complex and largest organizations in the world. We are the board of directors here,” Peters said, pointing to his Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues.
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“I don’t think there’s a board in America that would hire you as CEO with the kind of experience that’s on your resume,” he added.
