Pete Hegseth’s nomination for secretary of Defense has reportedly hit a new snag.
This confirmation was always destined to face fierce resistance, with Democrats offering unrelenting opposition and the media happily running interference with their smear machine. As we previously reported, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have already announced their opposition to Hegseth’s confirmation, but a third Republican U.S. senator is allegedly joining them.
Rumor has it North Carolina US Senator Thom Tillis plans to vote against Pete Hegseth.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) January 24, 2025
Please immediately call his DC office at (202) 224-6342 and urge the Senator to Confirm Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary!
The Wall Street Journal has more:
Other than Collins and Murkowski, who are on the record as “no” votes, and McConnell, whose position is unknown, nearly all other Republican senators have said they plan to vote yes on Friday. One exception is Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), who said Thursday night that he was still “completing due diligence” on the latest allegations against Hegseth, which surfaced earlier this week in a sworn statement from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth.
Tillis, who is up for re-election next year, has long been a presumptive yes on Hegseth, but after the emergence of Danielle Hegseth’s statement, he said he is open to new information “until the final vote.”
Senate Republicans are now concerned about Tillis, a person familiar with the matter said Friday afternoon. The Trump team also is most worried about Tillis, because he could potentially be the fourth “no” if Collins, Murkowski and McConnell all vote no, another person said.
Asked Friday afternoon if he was certain that Tillis would vote “yes,” Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) demurred. “We’re continuing to work on the process,” said Barrasso, whose job it is to count votes in the Senate GOP.
Hegseth previously managed to advance from the Armed Services Committee by the narrowest margin, a 14-13 party-line vote. On the Senate floor, cloture was invoked at 51-49, barely avoiding a situation where Vice President JD Vance would’ve had to cast the deciding vote.
Related: The Left Wants to Weaponize Disinformation, Not End It
With 53 Republican senators in total, when it was just Murkowski and Collins voting “no,” that would bring the number to 51 votes to confirm—assuming no Democrats cross party lines and vote for Hegseth. That leaves Hegseth with room for only one more GOP defection. So, if Tillis is a “no,” then the vote would be 50-50, leaving Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding vote.
Tillis previously indicated he was reviewing the latest allegations against Hegseth.
As we previously reported, on Tuesday, senators received an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, alleging behavior that purportedly made his second wife fear for her safety. However, even Hegseth’s ex-wife says these allegations are not true.
Samantha Deering, Hegseth’s ex-wife, told NBC News, which first reported on the accusations, that the allegations were false.
“First and foremost, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth. I do not have representatives speaking on my behalf, nor have I ever asked anyone to share or speak about the details of my marriage on my behalf, whether it be a reporter, a committee member, a transition team member, etc.,” she wrote.
“I do not believe your information to be accurate, and I have cc’d my lawyer,” she added.
So, by Tillis's standards, these accusations aren't corroborated, and he shouldn't let the Democrats' tactics succeed in thwarting Hegseth's nomination.
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