Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she is not yet ready to fully support President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, and would like to hear more from him.
“I'm a sexual assault survivor, and I've worked really hard to combat sexual assault in the military, so I want to hear more about that,” Ernst said at the Reagan National Defense Conference at Ronald Reagan University. said on the forum. Presidential Library Saturday Associated Press reported.
Mr. Ernst, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would handle Mr. Hegseth's confirmation hearing if he remains a nominee for Pentagon secretary, said on Saturday that he continues to make his case. , said he plans to meet with Mr. Hegseth for a second time next week. To members of the Diet.
“There will be a very thorough review before he moves forward,” Ernst said at a news conference, the Associated Press reported.
Hegseth faces an uphill battle for Senate confirmation, as Republicans are expected to secure a one-seat majority on the committee next year. If any Republican on the committee votes against Hegseth, his chances of advancing to the Senate floor will be challenged.
Mr. Ernst has not been vocal in his support for Mr. Hegseth, who has faced sexual assault allegations related to consensual encounters and previous comments about not allowing women to serve in combat roles in the military. It faces intense scrutiny in this regard.
Meanwhile, combating sexual assault in the military is one of Ernst's top priorities in Congress, and she has been thrust into the spotlight amid allegations against Hegseth.
He also faces allegations of excessive drinking. of The New Yorker reported on Sunday that Hegseth was forced to resign by two nonprofit advocacy organizations he ran due to financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct, and excessive drinking; NBC News reported on Tuesday. Hegseth's drinking reportedly worried his colleagues at Fox News, where he was a weekend host until earlier this month.
The New York Times article also alleges that Hegseth's mother emailed him in 2018, accusing him of “routinely abusing women for years” and exhibiting a “lack of character.” It was reported that he was accused of
However, her mother, Penelope Hegseth, retracted her comments in a phone interview with The Times, although at the time she sent a follow-up message apologizing for the initial email, saying she had sent the email “out of anger and emotion.” He claimed that he had put all his heart into it. My son and his wife were going through a divorce.
