Pete Hegseth confirmed as US Defense Secretary in a tie-breaking vote
Donald Trump’s nominated PT Hegaseth for the post of US Defense Minister confirmed the Senate late Friday night, as he was accused of misconduct, which almost derailed his confirmation.
After three Republican Senators, including former Senate majority leader Mich McConel, voted against him, Vice President JD Vance voted in favor of Hegseth.
During the confirmation hearing of Hegseth, he faced many questions Accused of sexual harassmentWhich he has denied, as well as infidelity and drinking alcohol.
Former fighters will oversee the department with an experienced and Fox News television hosts with about three million employees and a budget of $ 849 billion (£ 695 billion).
Four Republicans would need to join 47 Democratic and independent senators who voted against Hegseth to defeat him.
McConel’s amazing vote left the Senate in a 50-50 deadlock before Vines arrived to pour a tie-breaker.
Vance is only the second Vice President to break the tie to confirm the cabinet candidate in American history. Trump’s previous VP, Mike Pence, 2017 became the first person to confirm Betsi Davos as Secretary in 2017 when he broke the tie.
During the confirmation hearing at the beginning of this month, Hegseth said, “War, ambience, ability, standard and readiness. That’s all. This is my job.”
Democratic senators questioned a military experienced Hegseth about their qualifications to lead one of the country’s largest agencies.
Hegseth, an experienced 44 -year -old wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, later worked in Fox. They have very little traditional experience for the post of National Security Cabinet – this role is usually filled by senior civil servants, experienced politicians, generals and high -level officers.
During the hearing, Hegseth, especially by women senators, was also asked about their previous comments that women should not work in fighter roles. He replied that his concern is not to maintain a certain standard in the US Army, not women serving in war.
His confirmation process was shared by allegations of misconduct. She was accused of sexually assaulting an unknown woman in the Montere Hotel room in California in 2017. He has repeatedly denied the allegation.
The newly appointed Defense Secretary also faced allegations of drinking excessive alcohol, including work events and infidelity in his last two weddings.
During the hearing, he said, “I am not an ideal person, but liberation is real.”
Earlier this week, in the affidavit given by her former sister-in-law to the Congress Committee, she was accused of abuse of alcohol and husband and wife. Hegseth’s lawyer denied the allegations.
But many Republicans, including Trump, have retained their support for Hegseth.
For Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who voted against confirmation on Friday helped affect his vote.
In a statement issued a few days before the voting, he said that his previous behavior reflects “lack of decisions that is indecent for someone leading our armed forces”.
Meanwhile, another Republican, who voted against Hegseth, Men Senator Susan Colins said she was “worried that she had the necessary experiences and perspectives to succeed in a job”.
