Tillis hesitates but in the end votes to confirm Hegseth as secretary of Defense
Peter Hegseth will become the next U.S. secretary of Defense after U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis threw his support behind him in a closely divided confirmation vote.
Hegseth was confirmed Friday night in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Tillis had previously been noncommittal about his vote, but he joined most of his fellow Republicans in backing Hegseth.
“From the beginning, I have been clear about my position: if President Trump’s nominees were reported favorably out of the relevant committees, I would support their confirmation on the Senate floor absent new material information about their qualifications,” Tillis said in a statement Friday.
“Once Pete Hegseth’s nomination was sent to the floor by my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I conducted my own due diligence, including asking tough questions of Pete and I appreciated his candor and openness in answering them.”
Tillis was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 after having been speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. His vote on Trump nominees is being seen by some as a litmus test as he faces a potential primary challenge during his re-election run next year.
Questions about Hegseth
Friday marks only the second time that a vice president has had to break a tie in a confirmation vote for a Cabinet member.
Hegseth, 44, was a decorated Army National Guard major who went on to lead veterans organizations and become a Fox News host. But his nomination drew scrutiny over his personal and professional record that included allegations of mismanagement, heavy drinking and marital infidelity.
An affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law Danielle Dietrich included allegations that he behaved abusively, and was prone to aggressive outbursts and racist remarks, UPI reported.
Hegseth posted on social media a letter he had sent to Tillis denying the allegations in the affidavit.
“Ultimately, Ms. Dietrich has told stories about things that she hasn’t seen and exaggerated tales of alcohol use during a time when I was admittedly drinking more than I have in years,” Hegseth told Tillis. “None of this is relevant to the issue up for a vote tonight and should be rejected.”
All Democratic senators voted against Hegseth. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York said in a floor speech that Hegseth “has neither the character, the experience or the judgment required by the job,” CQ Roll Call reported.
Hegseth was also rejected by three Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former majority leader. But all the other GOP senators, including North Carolina’s Ted Budd, voted for him.
“Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation.,” Tillis said. “I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”
