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Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin expressed confidence Pete Hegseth is confirmed as defense secretary despite opposition from moderate Republicans.
Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday, setting up a final confirmation vote expected Friday evening. But Republican Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, both publicly declared their opposition to his nomination, meaning the GOP can only afford one more defection before Hegseth’s confirmation is lost.
Mullin said in an interview on “The Guy Benson Show” with guest host Jason Rantz that there were 50 “hard yes” votes for Hegseth to confirm and estimated he would receive up to 52 votes, including all Democrats and moderate Republicans from Alaska and Maine voted against it.
“He’ll definitely be confirmed tomorrow,” Mullin told Rantz. “I don’t know the White House schedule, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes office on Saturday.”
HEGSETH overcomes the hurdle in the Senate and advances to a final confirmation vote
Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Senate voted 51-49 on Thursday to advance Hegseth’s nomination, triggering up to 30 hours of debate before the final vote. president Donald Trump’s The embattled defense nominee faced intense questioning from Democrats about his qualifications for the job and received personal questions about his drinking habits and alleged sexual misconduct, which he strenuously denied. Hegseth said he would abstain from alcohol if confirmed.
Hegseth’s nomination faced another hurdle this week when reports emerged that his ex-sister-in-law claimed Hegseth abused his second wife.
Two sources told CNN that Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, made a statement to the FBI about Hegseth’s alleged drinking. The outlet said one of the sources said Samantha Hegseth told the FBI, “He drinks more often than not.”
On Tuesday, Fox News obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law Danielle Hegseth alleging he had a problem with alcohol abuse, which at times caused his ex-wife Samantha to fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and has no relationship with Samantha.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Defense, following the conclusion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington, DC (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
But Danielle Hegseth added that she herself never witnessed Pete physically or sexually abusing Samantha.
Samantha Hegseth also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y., criticized Hegseth at a news conference Thursday and urged Republicans to join Democrats in opposition to the former Fox News host and Army National Guardsman.
“Hegseth is so completely unqualified that he is at the top of the list [as] … one of the worst candidates you could put forward,” Schumer said.
HEGSETH LAWYER BLAMES “FAULTY AND QUESTIONABLE AFFAIR” OF FORMER SISTER-IN-LAW
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) pointed out the hypocrisy of Democratic senators during the Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth (Screenshot/Fox News Channel)
“People’s lives depend on it – civilians and of course the men and women in the armed forces – and Pete Hegseth has not only proven himself incapable of leading a large organization, he often proves himself incapable of performing or appearing in a large organization is so far out of the mainstream and so unqualified for the Department of Defense that I hope we will persuade our Republican colleagues to join us.
Mullin predicted that once Hegseth is confirmed, Democrats will turn their attention to another Trump nominee: Tulsi Gabbard, the president’s pick to be director of national intelligence.
“I think they’re going to turn their attention from Pete directly to Tulsi Gabbad,” Mullin said, noting that Gabbard’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for next week. “They went from Matt Gaetz to Pete Hegseth. Now they will go to Tulsi and after that I am sure they will probably move on.” [health secretary nominee] Bobby Kennedy.
The Oklahoma Republican also noted that Democratic senators who may harbor presidential ambitions could benefit from demonstrating their opposition to Trump’s nominee.
“Now there are all these Democratic senators jumping up and down wanting attention so they can become the champion of the Democratic Party. What they don’t realize is the position they took under Biden, and when Trump was in office, that’s exactly why he was thrown out of office.
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
