On Thursday, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine became the second Republican senator to voice opposition to Pete Hegseth's confirmation as Pentagon chief.
Mr. Collins announced his opposition to Mr. Hegseth shortly after Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski made similar remarks about Mr. Hegseth. With Collins and Murkowski voting against Hegseth, the candidate will only have one more Republican “no” vote, assuming Vice President J.D. Vance acts as the tiebreaker.
“He and I had a frank discussion in December about his past statements and his clearly evolving views. I don't believe his position on women in combat roles has changed.”
Collins primarily cited concerns about his “experience” and “perspective” and argued that Hegseth lacks the management skills to lead the Pentagon.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against Pete Hegseth's nomination as Secretary of Defense,” Collins said. said in a statement Thursday. “While we appreciate his brave military service and continued dedication to service members and their families, we fear he does not have the experience or perspective necessary to succeed in this mission.” I am concerned.”
Like Murkowski, Collins also took issue with Hegseth's previous comments about women in combat missions.
“I am also concerned by statements made by Ms. Hegseth about women's military service, including in the months immediately preceding her nomination,” Collins said. “He and I had a frank discussion in December about his past statements and his clearly evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on female combatants has changed.”
Unlike many of Hegseth's critics, Collins declined to comment on the various allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse against the candidate. Notably, many of these allegations were made anonymously, and Hegseth vehemently denies them.
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