Pivotal GOP Senator Who Trump Was Waiting to Hear from Tells Fox News She Is NOT a Yes on Pete Hegseth
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a bellwether in Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s confirmation process, told Fox News that she is not yet prepared to support him on Thursday morning.
After being asked directly by Bill Hemmer if she was prepared to vote for him, Ernst responded like this:
Well, I did have a very long, lengthy discussion with Pete yesterday, and I do appreciate his service to the nation. I also am a combat veteran. So we talked about a number of those issues and we will continue with the vetting process. I think that that is incredibly important. So again, all I’m saying is we had a very frank and productive discussion, and I know that we will continue to have conversation in the upcoming months.
“It doesn’t sound in your answer that you’ve gotten to a yes,” observed Hemmer. “If I’m wrong about that, correct me. And if that is the case, it sounds to me as if the hearing will be critical for his nomination. Am I right about that?”
“I think you are right. 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,” replied Ernst. “And that’s why I was happy to sit down with Pete and have that conversation with him yesterday.”
“So again, all I will say at this time is that we did have a very thorough discussion over a number of those issues, and the vetting will continue, I am certain, through the next month or so until we approach that hearing date,” she concluded.
Hegseth’s chances of being confirmed have been imperiled by a number of allegations and reports, including a particularly notable sexual assault accusation that he has strenuously denied.
Earlier on Thursday, Politico reported that President-elect Donald Trump himself viewed Ernst as a pivotal voice in the process.
“We hear Trump himself is eager to get a readout of how Hegseth’s meeting yesterday with Ernst went, knowing full-well that everyone was looking to her — the combat veteran and advocate for survivors of sexual assault in the military — to determine whether Hegseth stands any shot at surviving,” wrote the authors of Politico Playbook. “All Ernst has said so far is that she and Hegseth had a ‘frank and thorough conversation.'”
Watch above via Fox News.
