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One in all Donald Trump’s most controversial cupboard picks has been narrowly confirmed by the US Senate to move the Pentagon, regardless of allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
Pete Hegseth will turn into US secretary of defence after the Senate voted 51-50 in his favour late on Friday evening, squeaking by after vice-president JD Vance broke the tie.
Republican senators Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins joined Democrats in voting towards Hegseth’s affirmation.
Hegseth survived a last-ditch effort by Democrats to forestall his affirmation after his former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, made a sworn assertion accusing him of being so abusive to his ex-wife that she hid in a closet out of worry for her security. She additionally alleged that he had abused alcohol for years.
The previous Fox Information host is a departure from the standard defence secretary. His predecessor, Lloyd Austin, was a retired military basic who oversaw US Central Command, which encompasses navy operations within the Center East.
A vocal opponent of “wokeness”, Hegseth has vowed to deliver a “warrior” tradition again to the US navy because the Trump administration strikes to cast off the federal authorities’s variety initiatives.
He additionally mentioned one in all his priorities might be to safe the US-Mexico border. The Pentagon on Wednesday mentioned it will ship an extra 1,500 energetic responsibility troops to the US’s southern border, a 60 per cent enhance, on the president’s orders.
McConnell mentioned he voted towards Hegseth as a result of the nominee lacks the “strategic imaginative and prescient” for tips on how to tackle the US’s biggest nationwide safety challenges.
Hegseth “supplied no substantial observations on tips on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines” and didn’t “articulate in any element a strategic imaginative and prescient for coping with” with China, McConnell mentioned. The incoming defence secretary additionally didn’t reveal he can handle the Pentagon successfully.
On Thursday, Murkowski mentioned she couldn’t vote for him “in good conscience”, whereas Collins mentioned she was “not satisfied that his place on girls serving in fight roles has modified”.
Forward of the vote, Trump instructed reporters on Friday that he “was very shocked that Collins and Murkowski would do this”, including that “Pete’s a really, excellent man”.
He additionally anticipated that McConnell could be a maintain out too: “In fact, Mitch is at all times a ‘no’ vote, I suppose.”
Trump shocked Washington and defence circles when he chosen Hegseth, who served within the Military Nationwide Guard, for the function. He has since been dogged by allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse, misogyny, sexism and racism.
Hegseth mentioned in written solutions to questions that he paid $50,000 to the lady who accused him of sexual assault in a California resort room in 2017, in line with Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Hegseth dismissed the allegations concerning the sexual assault, his character and preparedness for the highest Pentagon job as “a smear marketing campaign” at his Senate affirmation listening to final week. He additionally tried to revise his earlier statements about girls troopers, saying they might “have entry to floor fight roles, given the requirements stay excessive”.
On air Hegseth grew to become identified for denouncing variety, fairness and inclusive initiatives. DEI insurance policies within the navy have been “dividing troops” and forcing “commanders to stroll on eggshells”, Hegseth mentioned at his listening to.
Extra Senate affirmation fireworks may come when two different contentious cupboard nominees, Robert F Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard, are grilled by senators on January 29 and January 30, respectively. Each ex-Democrats, Kennedy has been tapped for well being secretary and Gabbard for director of nationwide intelligence.
