Pete Hegseth confirmed Trump as Secretary of Defense with assistance from VP Vance

The Senate voted to confirm the president Donald Trump The nominee, Pete Hegseth, as defense secretary on Friday night after a high-profile battle to sway lawmakers in his favor was all but derailed by allegations of his conduct.

The final vote came down to failure, with three Republicans opposed, forcing a 50-50 vote. Vice President J. D. Vance was needed to break the tie in the upper chamber, making the final score 51-50.

“Congratulations to Pete Hegseth. He will make a great Secretary of Defense!” Trump has been writing about social justice since Hegsett’s confirmation.

The Senate’s two moderate Republican women, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted no. As did Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a former GOP leader.

Murkowski, a moderate Republican, would not support Trump’s selection of Hegseth for defense secretary

The support of North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis was not given, and he did not reveal his position until the vote was already underway. He ended up saying he would support Trump’s pick, giving him enough support to confirm Vance’s vote.

In his reasoning, Murkowski cited betrayal, “allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking” and Hegseth’s previous comments about women serving in the military.

The behavior that he admitted alone, she said: “Lack of judgment, which is not a steadfast person to lead our armed forces.”

Concerned Veterans of America (CVA), the nonprofit advocacy group at the center of many of the allegations made during Hegsett’s confirmation, praised his confirmation in a statement.

“The confirmation of Pete Hegsett as Secretary of Defense represents a real opportunity to prioritize the safety and well-being of our citizens, champion prudence and effectiveness in our defense strategy, and focus our Department of Defense on America’s most vital interests,” the statement said.

A The New Yorker reports In December, Hegseth was forced out of CVA, the group he once led, amid allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and personal misconduct.

All Democrats opposed the confirmation, a far cry from an earlier vote this week in which Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed unanimously, 99-0.

Hegseth will now lead the government’s largest agency, with a long-standing promise to drive diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures across every sector.

Hegseth clears Senate hurdles and advances to final confirmation vote

However, the Pentagon under Trump did not expect a confirmed secretary.

This week, Commander Air ForceThe 613th Airlift Operations Center in Hawaii, which advocated for more women in roles like her own, was removed from her position. General Kevin Schneider, commander of Pacific Air Forces Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam“Because of the loss of confidence in her ability to manage the organization.”

Shortly after Trump took office, Coast Guard Commander adm. Linda Fagan, the first uniform to lead any branch of the military, was removed from her position.

This week, Trump also nominated former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lochmeyer and former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller to top Defense Department posts — both men who have been deeply critical of the Baden administration’s Pentagon policies.

Lochmeier, who was nominated serves as the Air Force’s insignia, was Fired as commander of the 11th Space Alert Squadron at Buckley AFB, after he wrote a book and appeared on podcasts claiming that Marxism had infiltrated the military and criticizing diversity policies.

Scheller made headlines for hosting the video in a single criticism, criticizing senior military leaders over the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Scheller, the Defense Department’s new senior adviser to the secretary for manpower and readiness, was sent to Brig and brought to trial on video clips.

Hegsett’s nomination was hit by a last-minute hurdle earlier this week when reports emerged that his former son-in-law claimed he abused his second wife.

On Tuesday, Fox News obtained a statement from Hegseth’s ex-daughter-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, who is believed to have a problem with alcohol abuse and sometimes abused his ex-wife Samantha out of fear for her safety. Danielle Hegseth was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother and is not related to Samantha.

Senate Majority Chair Criticizes ‘Anonymous Sources With Motives’ ‘Stands On Hegseth’s Nomination

But Danielle Hegseth added that Peeta had never witnessed any abuse, whether physical or sexual.

Samantha Hegseth also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News.

Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said in a statement Wednesday evening It reports that “the confidential briefing on the FBI’s background investigation of Pete Hegseth that I received last week is harsh and factually inaccurate” and that it stands by Hegseth’s nomination.

Earlier on Thursday, the minority leader of the senator Chuck SchumerDN.Y., urged Republicans to join him in opposing the former Fox News host and Army National Guardsman.

Lawyer Hegset-human rights defender and dubious testimony “from a former son-in-law

“Hegseth is so unqualified that he ranks (as) … one of the worst nominees that could be nominated,” Schumer said.

Hegseth, who was married three times, admitted he was a “serial cheater” before he became a Christian and married now-wife Jenny.

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44-year army National Guard Veteran, Who has done tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced compared to secretaries of defense in the past, leaving the main. But Republicans say they don’t want anyone who has reached the top brass entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.