By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, said on Thursday she is not yet ready to back Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, dimming the confirmation hopes of President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled nominee.
Ernst, a senior Armed Services Committee member, said she had not yet gotten to “yes” on the nomination and wanted more investigation of allegations against him, after a lengthy discussion with Hegseth during their meeting on Wednesday.
“I think you are right,” Ernst said in an interview on Fox News, when asked whether she had got to “yes” yet. “I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared. And that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process.”
Another Republican committee member, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, praised Hegseth after their meeting on Thursday but told reporters he has more to do. “I want him to be able to answer, in front of everybody else, the questions that are there,” Rounds said.
Republicans will hold a 53-47 Senate majority next year, meaning Hegseth could afford to lose the support of just three Republicans and still be confirmed if Democrats unite against him as expected.
Hegseth insisted he would keep fighting for the position as he faced continuing concerns about allegations of misconduct in his professional and personal life.
“I will answer all of these senators’ questions, but this will not be a process tried in media. I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you. Not to that camera, at all,” the former Fox News host told reporters at a Senate office building where he was meeting with Republican lawmakers.
He said he is in the running as long as Trump wants him.
COMBAT VETERAN
Hegseth, 44, is an Army National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and has two Bronze Stars. He has been criticized for lacking management experience needed to lead 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military.
A person familiar with the confirmation process said the meeting between Ernst and Hegseth had been productive, with the discussion focused on issues including readiness and eliminating waste.
Hegseth has the strong support of many of Trump’s fellow Republicans, who will control the Senate starting in January.
“Pete is focused on what I’m focused on which is getting wokeness out of the military and making our Department of Defense lethal again,” Senator-elect Jim Banks said in a statement after their meeting on Thursday.
A wave of media reports has raised questions about Hegseth, including allegations of heavy drinking and allegations made in a police report that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 at a conference in California.
No charges were filed, and he entered into a private settlement with the alleged victim.
Hegseth’s past statements also have worried some lawmakers. He has expressed disdain for so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, opposed women in combat roles and questioned whether the top American general was in his position because of his skin color.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)
