WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon under Donald Trump’s second term in the White House appears to be back on track as Republican senators look past allegations leveled against him involving alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct.
The Army veteran and former Fox News host, who has denied the allegations, on Monday met with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran and survivor of sexual assault, for a second time. Their discussions seemed to be headed in a positive direction, with Ernst saying she extracted concessions from Hegseth on auditing the Pentagon and naming a senior official focused on tackling sexual assault in the military, a key priority for the Senate Armed Services Committee member.
“As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources,” Ernst said in a statement, echoing Hegseth’s supporters who have denounced the allegations leveled against him as a media-driven “witch hunt.”
The statement from Ernst signaled a major vibe shift after the senator had pointedly refused to say anything positive about the pending nomination last week, generating speculation that Hegseth could go the way of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice after Senate GOP opposition.
Starting late last week, Ernst received vicious online criticism from pro-Trump influencers, with the likes of Trump-favorite @Catturd2 calling her “war pig” and @DC_Draino suggesting she face a primary election challenge from another Republican. The senator is up for reelection in 2026.
“We are learning a lot about Joni Ernst and the Senate establishment right now,” TurningPointUSA founder Charlie Kirk said in one post on social media. “Trump faithful are talking about finding a primary challenger. This is getting very serious.”
Kirk called the statement from Ernst on Monday great progress.
Mike Davis, a MAGA diehard and former top GOP Senate aide, told Politico the burden of proof is on the accuser to come forward while appearing to dismiss the allegations even if they rang true.
“Let’s get this straight: Pete Hegseth used to drink too much and couldn’t keep his dick in his pants? He’d make a great senator,” Davis wrote in a social media post.
Hegseth’s attorney, meanwhile, threatened to sue the unnamed accuser if she publicly makes “false statements.”
Since every member of the Senate Democratic caucus is expected to oppose his bid, Hegseth can afford to lose no more than three GOP senators in next year’s Congress when Republicans will control the upper chamber with a narrow 53-47 majority.
Other key Republican senators are slated to meet with Hegseth this week, including Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Murkowski said last week that she had “some very real concerns” about the allegations leveled against him.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who previously called the allegations against Hegseth “disturbing,” also appeared to be warming to his bid to lead the nation’s largest and oldest government agency.
“The accusations being made regarding financial management of veterans service organizations and personal misconduct should only be considered by the committee if they are supported by testimony before Congress — not anonymous sources,” Graham said in a statement, referring to allegations of financial mismanagement at a veterans charity Hegseth led in 2016.
Democracy In The Balance
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Graham was enraged by the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 in which a sexual assault accusation came to light through media reports. It ultimately resulted in public testimony by the accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, that Graham and other Republicans simply said they didn’t believe.
Although there were reports last week that Trump was considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), the president-elect defended the former Fox News host in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday.
“Pete Hegseth is doing very well,” Trump wrote. “His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe. He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense … one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”