Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth was confirmed as Defense Secretary Friday night on a narrow vote in the U.S. Senate, a victory for President Donald Trump despite disturbing allegations about Hegseth’s conduct and questions about his fitness for the job.
Hegseth’s appointment was secured in a late-night vote only when Vice President J.D. Vance stepped in to break the tie after three Senate Republicans voted against him. Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault and of having a history of alcohol abuse. His candidacy seemed in doubt earlier in the week when another person came forward with allegations that Hegseth had been abusive to his former wife.
Hegseth was co-host of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Weekend” daytime show from 2017 until late last year when he stepped down after Trump nominated him to oversee the nation’s military. He previously served in the National Guard and was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. But from the start he has been criticized by many military professionals as shockingly unqualified to lead such a large organization as the Pentagon.
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Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and a former Senate Majority Leader, voted against Hegseth’s appointment, as did GOP senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.
The vote that concluded around 10 p.m. ET marked only the second time in U.S. history that a Vice President had to use their tie-breaking power to secure approval for a Cabinet nominee. The first, according to CNN, was when Vice President Mike Pence had to step in to get Betsy DeVos confirmed as head of the Education Department in 2017.
Earlier Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Hegseth, calling him “one of the most erratic, unqualified and unfit Cabinet nominees we have ever seen in modern times” and warning that his confirmation would endanger the “credibility of the Republican majority,” CNN reported.