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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, officially endorsed Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense on Tuesday night, despite expressing some initial uncertainty following their first meeting.
“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,” Ernst told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense. As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.”
President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense (DOD) went before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, where he faced questions from both Democratic and Republican members.
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During the hearing, Ernst pressed Trump’s DOD choice on women in combat, sexual assault in the military and auditing the department.
Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault herself, said, “A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect. This has been so important. Senator Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure that we have improvements, and on how we address the tragic and life altering, issues of rape, sexual assault. It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon under your watch, if you are confirmed.”
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“So, as secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she asked Hegseth.
Trump’s selection told the senator that he would agree to do so.
She had previously expressed uncertainty about her support for Hegseth, agreeing with Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer when he suggested she wasn’t quite ready to say yes to his nomination. “I think you are right,” she said on “America’s Newsroom.”
Ernst’s support is a welcome development for Hegseth because, in order to be confirmed, its expected he will need nearly every Republican to support him, with room to lose only two of their votes. This is assuming that no Democratic senators choose to back him, in which case, he would have more flexibility with Republicans.
Hegseth took numerous pointed questions from Democrats, along with several criticisms. The senators prodded him over allegations regarding alcohol consumption, sexual assault and financial mismanagement.
He has denied each of the allegations. However, Democratic senators emerged from the hearing unconvinced by Hegseth.