The Senate confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Donald Trump’s next Secretary of Defense was hung up late Friday evening in a last-minute nail-biter vote following several misconduct allegations that threatened to tank his nomination.
All the Democrats and a surprise third Republican — Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, along with expected no votes from Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — opposed his nomination. Vice President JD Vance quickly arrived in the Senate after the vote to break the 50-50 tie.
McConnell, the former Senate majority leader and a massive military hawk, surprised many by showing up to the Senate and voting against Hegseth’s confirmation. Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had not tipped his vote either way, showed up with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the Democrat who had grilled Hegseth about his views on women serving in the military.
Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had initially not tipped his vote either way, showed up with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the Democrat who had grilled Hegseth about his views on women serving in the military.
McConnell’s surprise no vote forced Vance to cast his first tiebreaking vote as the president of the Senate. When Vance arrived, Senate Republicans broke out in applause.
Shortly before Tillis announced his yes vote, Hegseth posted a letter to X that he had sent the North Carolina Republican that broke down the details in the sworn affidavit of his ex-sister-law filed this week, and refuted claims she had made about an abusive marriage.
Tillis, a Republican who faces re-election in 2026 in a state Trump barely won, had to contend with the fact he might face a Republican primary challenger as well as a strong Democratic opponent before he ultimately voted for Hegseth’s confirmation.
A former Fox News host, Hegseth’s nomination was on shaky ground from the start, as he quickly came under fire for multiple infidelities, accusations of sexual misconduct, and previous comments about women in combat. He faced allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017, with a police report revealing that the woman had accused him of blocking the door of his hotel room to prevent her from leaving. The accusation led to a repoted $50,000 nondisclosure settlement, but Hegseth has denied any misconduct.
Hegseth served in the Army National Guard, but critics charged that he lacked the experience necessary to lead a federal bureaucracy as massive as the Pentagon. The Defense Department is the largest federal operation, with a budget of $842 billion and 2.8 million employees.
In addition, Hegseth has faced numerous allegations of public drunkenness and mismanagement of the veterans non-profits he led — claims he has denied and dismissed as a “smear campaign.”
NBC News reported this week that Hegseth’s former sister-in-law wrote in a sworn affidavit to Congress that Hegseth made his ex-wife fear for her safety, though Hegseth’s ex-wife told the network “there was no physical abuse in my marriage.” However, Hegseth’s ex-wife, who is bound by a non-disparagement clause in her divorce settlement, did not deny that she feared for her life and had a safety code to reach out for help, as the affidavit claimed.
During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth faced questions from Democrats about his previous comments, namely his remarks that “we should not have women in combat roles” and that mothers in particular should not serve in combat units.
But Republican lawmakers rallied to Hegseth’s defense as his confirmation quickly became a Trump loyalty test. During the confirmation hearing, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, began Hegseth’s confirmation hearing by saying the negative stories about Hegseth came “from liberal media publications.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma used the hearing to ask his colleagues, “How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?” and “how many senators do you know have gotten divorced for cheating on their wives?”
