Two GOP senators optimistic about Hegseth’s chances of being next SecDef

Two GOP senators said they believe Pete Hegseth will have the votes to be confirmed as the next U.S. defense secretary following a contentious hearing on Tuesday. 

Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., joined “The Ingraham Angle” to share their assessments of Hegseth’s path to becoming a part of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet.

“I believe, without question, Pete’s going to be confirmed, and I think you’re going to have strong support from all the Republicans, men and women alike,” Mullin said. “I think he is the right person for the job, and President Trump did a wonderful job by picking him to be the next secretary of defense.”

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Mullin also praised his Republican colleague, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for throwing her support behind Hegseth after she initially appeared skeptical about his nomination because of remarks he made about women in combat and allegations of sexual misconduct. Hegseth denies the allegations. 

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The former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host said in a podcast in early November the United States “should not have women in combat roles.” 

“It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated,” he said on an episode of the “Shawn Ryan Show.”

Ernst, a combat veteran herself and sexual assault survivor, met with Hegseth multiple times leading up to the confirmation hearing before throwing her support behind Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon on Tuesday evening.

Cotton told Fox News host Laura Ingraham he believes Hegseth has the votes to be confirmed by the Senate. A vote is expected some time next week.

“I hope the 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 on the job properly,” Cotton said. 

He railed against the harm of “political correctness” and “social engineering” that’s “run amok” in the military. 

“It’s probably declined recruiting numbers to the point that we’re at a recruiting crisis and it’s harmed readiness. Look, our troops don’t deserve their pronouns on their ID tags. They don’t need to do privilege walks. They don’t have to go through repeated training sessions about diversity, equity and inclusion,” Cotton continued. “What they deserve is hard, realistic training to help prepare them to defend this nation at wartime. The kind of training that Pete Hegseth has conducted and that he’s run.”

Several Democratic senators grilled Hegseth on his experience running two veteran nonprofit organizations and his alleged financial mismanagement during his time at 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’re basically hiring you to be the CEO of one of the most complex, largest organizations in the world. We’re the board of directors here,” Peters said, pointing to his Senate Armed Services committee colleagues.

“I don’t think there’s a board of directors in America that would hire you as a CEO with the kind of experience you have on your resume,” he added.