Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, was confirmed by the Senate late Friday night after facing allegations of misconduct that nearly derailed his confirmation.
Vice President J.D. Vance voted in favor of Hegseth after three Republican senators, including former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted against him.
During Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, he faced several questions, including: sexual assault chargesHe denied infidelity as well as drinking.
The former combat veteran and Fox News TV presenter will oversee a department with about 3 million employees and a budget of $849 billion (£695 billion).
Four Republicans had to join 47 Democratic and independent senators who voted against Hegseth’s nomination to be defeated.
McConnell’s surprise vote left the Senate deadlocked at 50-50 before Vance arrived to break the tie.
Vance is only the second vice president in U.S. history to break a tie to confirm a Cabinet nominee. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, first broke the tie in 2017 when he confirmed Betsy DeVos as education secretary.
“Combat, lethality, meritocracy, standards and readiness. That’s it. That’s my job,” Hegseth said during his confirmation hearing earlier this month.
Democratic senators questioned Hegseth, a military veteran, about whether he was qualified to lead one of the nation’s largest agencies.
Hegseth, 44, who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, later worked for Fox. He has little of the traditional experience expected for a national security Cabinet position, a role typically reserved for senior civil servants, experienced politicians, generals and senior executives.
Hegseth was questioned during the hearing, particularly by a female senator, about her previous comments that women should not serve in combat roles. He responded that his concern was not with women serving in combat, but with maintaining certain standards in the U.S. military.
His confirmation process was overshadowed by allegations of misconduct. He was accused of sexually assaulting an unnamed woman in a hotel room in Monterey, California, in 2017. He has repeatedly denied the charges.
The newly appointed defense secretary has also been accused of excessive drinking, including at work functions, and of infidelity in his two previous marriages.
“I am not a perfect person, but salvation is real,” he said during the hearing.
Earlier this week, he was accused of alcohol and spousal abuse in an affidavit submitted to a congressional committee by his former sister-in-law. Hegseth’s lawyer denied the allegations.
But many Republicans, including Trump, have maintained their support for Hegseth.
For Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who voted against confirmation Friday, past claims helped sway their vote.
In a statement released days before the vote, she said his past actions “demonstrate a lack of judgment unbecoming of someone leading our military.”
Meanwhile, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, another Republican who voted against Hegseth, said she was “concerned that Hegseth does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the position.”
