Key GOP Senator Says She’s Not Working to Derail Hegseth Nomination

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) speaks during a press conference following the Senate Republican weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2024. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

A key Republican senator says she’s not ready to commit to approving President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, but that she’s also not working to derail the nomination.

“I don’t have a campaign against Pete,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told RealClearPolitics. “I just want to make sure the process is able to play out and that we’re thoroughly vetting him.”

Trump selected military veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary. The post is among those that require Senate confirmation.

Republicans will enjoy a 53–47 majority in the upper chamber starting in January 2025, but some of Trump’s nominees could still be blocked if enough GOP senators oppose them. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Trump’s first choice as attorney general, has already withdrawn after Republican senators expressed concern with the pick.

Hegseth has been under fire from Democrats and some Republicans for allegations including that he sexually assaulted a woman in California. Hegseth has denied wrongdoing. Trump has so far stood by him, although he has considered making Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the defense secretary instead, a source familiar with the transition confirmed to The Epoch Times.

Ernst has been among the senators rumored to oppose Hegseth. Some reports have suggested she wants to become defense secretary herself.

“I am not seeking to be secretary of defense,” Ernst told RealClearPolitics.

A longtime member of the U.S. Army Reserves who deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2003 and serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Ernst said she is focused on her work in the Senate rather than seeking a position in Trump’s Cabinet.

Ernst recently met with Hegseth. She posted a brief statement on the social media platform X, writing: “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s service to our country, something we both share. Today, as part of the confirmation process, we had a frank and thorough conversation.”

The Senate is slated to take up Trump’s nominees after the president-elect is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025.

Ernst told RealClearPolitics that the allegations against Hegseth deserve scrutiny and pushed back on criticism of Republican senators who voted to confirm President Joe Biden’s defense secretary pick, Gen. Lloyd Austin.

“If there had been allegations made against Gen. Austin, we would have gone through that process as well,“ Ernst said. ”I think anyone that comes in front of our committee deserves a fair hearing.”

She added later, regarding Hegseth: “We just need to make sure that he is thoroughly vetted and that he has his opportunity to go in front of the committee, recount his service, and rebut any allegations.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday that Hegseth “is doing very well” and that he “will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense [sic], one who leads with charisma and skill.”

Hegseth, meanwhile, told “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast that he spoke with Trump after DeSantis was floated as a replacement.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 4, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

“It’s all the president’s choice,” Hegseth said. “I spoke to the president this morning. He said I’m his guy.”

Hegseth told Kelly that he did not sexually assault a woman in a hotel in California in 2017.

“I may have been drinking, but I was cognizant enough to remember every single detail. And I’m not here to say that my conduct was good,” he said. “Being in a hotel room with someone that’s not the person you’re with is not OK. I own up to that, and I’ve had to own up to that.”