How badly did things go for Democrats hoping to torpedo Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon in his confirmation hearings Tuesday? Badly enough that not only did the opposition gain no momentum from the most controversial of President-elect Donald Trump’s second-term cabinet picks, it lost the one GOP vote they were hoping to get.
According to Fox News, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst — who previously declared herself being on the fence regarding Hegseth — said Tuesday evening that she was on board with Hegseth’s appointment.
Given that Ernst was the only GOP holdout making her reservations public on the Senate Armed Services Committee, that speaks volumes.
Hegseth — a vet, activist, and former Fox News host — faced significant questions on Tuesday about his personal behavior in the past, his prior organizational experience, and his views on women in combat.
The opposition to his nomination could best be summed up by the ranking Democrat on the committee, Democrat Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island: “He is probably the least qualified individual ever suggested to be the secretary of defense in my tenure, and perhaps in the history of the country,” Reed claimed during the hearings, as The Wall Street Journal reported.
However, Democrats failed to land any of their punches and Hegseth was able to successfully paint himself as an outsider — albeit one who’d had “dust on his boots” from being in combat — who would return the Pentagon to a “warrior ethos” after four years of wokeness under President Joe Biden’s administration.
It was enough that Sen. Ernst, who hadn’t made her support of Hegseth official, decided to put herself on the record as supporting him.
“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,” Ernst told Fox News via a statement.
“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense,” she added.
Do you support Pete Hegseth?
“As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.”
The endorsement is critical, as Ernst had first told the media she was unsure on Hegseth and then issued a statement vaguely supportive of him, if not terribly specific.
Ernst, a combat veteran, told Fox News that she had a “very long, lengthy discussion” with Hegseth in early December and added that “we will continue with the vetting process. I think that is incredibly important.”
When Fox News’ Bill Hemmer said it sounded like the former combat vet and sexual assault survivor hadn’t “gotten to a yes” yet, she responded, “I think you are right.”
🚨Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst — who happily voted for LLoyd Austin to run DoD —
— explains that right now, she is not a “yes” vote for Pete Hegseth. pic.twitter.com/zlPsyj7tgc
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 5, 2024
After a meeting with Hegseth a few days later, however, she issued a qualified statement of support.
“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversation, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women, based on quality and standards, not quotas,” she said.
“As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”
During Tuesday’s hearing, Ernst asked Hegseth about sexual assault in the military, women in combat roles and an audit of the Pentagon. She was apparently impressed with his answers.
“A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect,” she said during the hearing.
“This has been so important. [Democrat New York] Senator Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure that we have improvements, and on how we address the tragic and life altering, issues of rape, sexual assault. It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon under your watch, if you are confirmed.”
“So, as secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she asked.
He said yes — and, and you can see, his answers have paid off with an official endorsement.
Barring any other last-minute attacks on Hegseth that the left might have kept in reserve, Ernst’s endorsement more or less makes it official. Losing a GOP vote on the Senate Armed Services Committee would have put his nomination in peril, but it appears that the one vote he didn’t have has, to use Bill Hemmer’s words, “gotten to a yes.” Nothing else during the hearing got anybody to a no.
If you needed a barometer of how things will go for the rest of Trump’s nominees, the profound let-down for Democrats invested in the Hegseth fusillade should suffice.
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