Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Monday took another important step toward voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
Mr. Ernst and Mr. Hegseth met in person Monday afternoon, at least the second time since President-elect Donald Trump nominated Mr. Ernst.
“After our encouraging conversations, Pete completed a full audit of the Department of Defense, supporting the role and value of our servicemen and women based on quality and standards, not quotas, and prioritizing and strengthening my mission as a senior official.” “We're committed to electing people to work to prevent sexual assault within our ranks,” Ernst said after the meeting, according to FOX News' Chad Pergram. reported. “I will support Pete throughout this process and look forward to a fair hearing based on truth and not anonymous sources.”
Ernst had emerged as the face of senatorial reluctance to support Hegseth. The junior senator from Iowa, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, was rumored to be seeking the job himself.
Ernst is inching closer to a vote to confirm her at the helm of the Pentagon after mounting conservative backlash over her coolness about Hegseth's nomination.
Hegseth was the target of an apparently coordinated smear campaign by establishment media eager to rehash years-old allegations.
But Hegseth remained steadfast in his stance, meeting individually with senators about his vision for the Pentagon and concerns about his nomination.
Despite rumors that Trump was impressed by Hegseth's determination and would consider replacing him with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (which would conveniently work against Hegseth's nomination), He remains devoted to Mr. Hegseth.
Mr. Ernst is just the latest major senator to announce support for Mr. Hegseth's nomination ahead of his confirmation hearing.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a leading Republican voice on defense policy and recently elected to the No. 3 post in the Senate Republican leadership, tweeted Monday morning. “We expect our Republican Senate to approve all of President Trump's nominees.”
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News' Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
