Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. secretary of defense, was confirmed by the Senate Friday evening, after facing allegations of misconduct that nearly derailed his confirmation.
Vice President JD Vance cast the game-changing vote in favor of Hegseth, after three Republican senators, including former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted against him.
During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, he faced several questions about An allegation of sexual assaultwhich he denied, as well as infidelity and drinking.
The former combat veteran and Fox News television host will both oversee a department of three million employees and a budget of $849 billion (£695 billion).
Four Republicans would have had to join the 47 Democratic and independent senators who voted against Hegseth for his nomination to be defeated.
McConnell’s surprise vote left the Senate in a 50-50 deadlock before Vance arrived to initiate the tiebreaker.
Vance is only the second vice president in U.S. history to break a tie to confirm a Cabinet nominee. Trump’s previous vice president, Mike Pence, became the first when he broke the tie to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary in 2017.
“War fighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards and preparedness. That’s it. That’s my job,” Hegseth said during the confirmation hearing earlier this month.
Democratic senators questioned Hegseth, a military veteran, about his qualifications to lead one of the nation’s largest agencies.
Hegseth, 44, a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, later worked at Fox. He has little of the traditional experience expected for a national security cabinet position – a role typically filled by senior civil servants, experienced politicians, generals and high-level executives.
Hegseth was also questioned during the hearing, particularly by female senators, about his previous comments that women should not be in combat roles. He responded that his concern was not women in combat, but maintaining a certain standard in the U.S. military.
His confirmation process was overshadowed by allegations of misconduct. He was accused of sexually assaulting an unnamed woman in 2017 in a hotel room in Monterey, California. He has repeatedly denied the accusation.
The newly confirmed Defense Secretary also faced allegations of excessive drinking, including at work events, and infidelity in his two previous marriages.
“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real,” he said during the hearing.
Earlier this week, he was accused of drunkenness and domestic violence in a sworn affidavit given to a congressional committee by his former sister-in-law. Hegseth’s lawyer denied the allegations.
But many Republicans, including Trump, have maintained their support for Hegseth.
For Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who voted against confirmation Friday, the past allegations helped sway their vote.
In a statement released days before the vote, she said her past behavior “demonstrates a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces.”
Meanwhile, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, another Republican who voted against Hegseth, said she was “concerned that he doesn’t have the experience and perspective to succeed in the job.”
