Following a months-long media smear campaign aimed at tanking his nomination, the Senate voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as America’s next defense secretary Friday night. The final vote was 51-50, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposition.
Hegseth’s nomination was advanced to the full Senate for consideration by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday. The committee vote came along partisan lines, with Republicans supporting the Army veteran and Democrats opposing.
During last week’s confirmation hearing, Hegseth weathered disgusting attacks from the committee’s Senate Democrats and made the case for why he’s the man to lead the Pentagon.
“Like many of my generation, I’ve been there. I’ve led troops in combat, been on patrol for days, pulled a trigger downrange, heard bullets whiz by, flex-cuffed insurgents, called in close air support, led medevacs, dodged IEDs, pulled out dead bodies, and knelt before a battlefield cross,” Hegseth said. “[T]his is not academic for me; this is my life. I led then, and I will lead now.”
The Army veteran’s road to confirmation was no easy feat. In addition to a relentless media smear operation comprised of anonymous accusations and vapid hit pieces, Hegseth faced initial opposition from members of the Senate GOP.
Weeks after Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon, Trump world sources told The Federalist that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was leading a behind-the-scenes campaign to tank Hegseth’s nomination. This included Ernst making phone calls to Trump to convince him to dump Hegseth and enlisting Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to lobby the president-elect to replace Hegseth with Ernst.
Both Ernst and Graham changed their tunes on Hegseth’s nomination following The Federalist’s reporting and subsequent conservative backlash. Both GOP senators voted in favor of Hegseth’s confirmation on Friday.
[READ: Why Pete Hegseth Is The Right Man To Run The Pentagon]
For all the obstacles in his path, Hegseth enjoyed widespread support from America’s veteran community. Leading up to his confirmation hearing, more than 100 former service members and other supporters rallied in Washington, D.C. to encourage Senate Republicans to support his nomination.
“These are warfighters. That’s who support[s] Pete. That’s who’s on this podium. These are men and women who put it on the line for our country. And they’re telling you the way it is,” Navy SEAL veteran Bill Brown said during a Jan. 13 press conference.
Other Trump appointees confirmed by the Senate this week include Marco Rubio as secretary of state and John Ratcliffe as CIA director.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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