Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., expressed confidence that Pete Hegseth would be confirmed as defense secretary, despite opposition from GOP moderates. But Fox has learned there are “still a few issues” with members (plural) regarding his confirmation.
Fox has also learned that there should be full attendance in the Senate tonight. But there’s a possibility that the vote to confirm Hegseth could be held open, allowing a senator to arrive late and vote, Fox has been told. If it comes down to a tie, Vice President JD Vance could be called in to break it, in his role as president of the Senate.
Only one vice president has ever broken a tie to confirm a cabinet official. That was former Vice President Pence in February 2017, to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary.
Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday, setting up a final confirmation vote expected Friday evening. However, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, both publicly declared their opposition to his nomination, meaning the GOP can only afford one more defection before Hegseth’s confirmation is lost.
Mullin, in an interview on the “Guy Benson Show” with guest host Jason Rantz, said there are 50 “hard yes” votes for Hegseth to be confirmed and estimated he will receive as many as 52 votes, with all Democrats and the moderate Republicans from Alaska and Maine voting against.
“He’s definitely being confirmed tomorrow,” Mullin told Rantz. “I don’t know what the White House schedule is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sworn into office on Saturday.”
HEGSETH CLEARS SENATE HURDLE AND ADVANCES TO A FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Senate voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth’s nomination on Thursday, which triggered up to 30 hours of debate before a final vote. President Donald Trump‘s embattled defense secretary nominee has faced intense grilling from Democrats on his qualifications for the position, as well as personal questions about his drinking habits and alleged sexual misconduct, which he has vigorously denied. Hegseth has said he would abstain from alcohol if confirmed.
Hegseth’s nomination faced another hurdle this week when reports emerged that his ex-sister-in-law alleged that Hegseth had abused his second wife.
Two sources told CNN Hegseth’s ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, gave a statement to the FBI about Hegseth’s alleged alcohol use. The outlet said one of the sources said Samantha told the FBI, “He drinks more often than he doesn’t.”
On Tuesday, Fox News obtained an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, which alleges he has an alcohol abuse problem and at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. Danielle was previously married to Pete’s brother and has no relation to Samantha.
Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, is seen at the completion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
However, Danielle added that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, by Pete against Samantha.
Samantha has also denied any physical abuse in a statement to NBC News.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Hegseth at a news conference on Thursday and urged Republicans to join Democrats in opposition to the former Fox News host and Army National Guardsman.
“Hegseth is so utterly unqualified, he ranks up there [as]… one of the very worst nominees that could be put forward,” Schumer said.
HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., called out Democratic senators’ hypocrisy during the Senate confirmation hearing for defense secretary candidate Pete Hegseth. (Screenshot/Fox News Channel)
“People’s lives depend on it — civilians and, of course, the men and women in the armed services — and Pete Hegseth has shown himself not only incapable of running a large organization, he often shows himself incapable of showing up or showing up in a way where he could get anything done. He is so out of the mainstream and so unqualified for DOD that I am hopeful we will get our Republican colleagues to join us.”
Mullin predicted that once Hegseth is confirmed, Democrats will turn their attention to another of Trump’s nominees, Tulsi Gabbard, who is the president’s choice to be director of national intelligence.
“I think they’re going to turn their attention from Pete straight to Tulsi Gabbard,” Mullin said, noting that Gabbard’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for next week. “They went from Matt Gaetz to Pete Hegseth. Now they’re going to go to Tulsi, and then after that I’m sure they’ll probably move on to [health secretary nominee] Bobby Kennedy.”
The Oklahoma Republican also suggested that Democratic senators who may harbor presidential ambitions stand to gain from making a show of opposition to Trump’s nominees.
“You have all these Democrat senators now that are jumping up and down wanting attention so they can be the champion of the Democrat Party. What they don’t realize is the position they took underneath Biden and when Trump was in office is exactly why they got kicked out of office,” he said.
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Oklahoma Sen. Mark Mullin expressed confidence in the confirmation of Pete Hegseth as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, predicting that Democrats will try to sink the nomination of another conservative figure next.
In a recent interview, Sen. Mullin stated that he believes Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army veteran, is highly qualified for the position and will ultimately be confirmed by the Senate.
However, Sen. Mullin also raised concerns about the tactics that Democrats may employ to block Hegseth’s nomination, and speculated on who they may target next. He suggested that Democrats may try to derail the nomination of another conservative figure in the near future, in an effort to obstruct the agenda of the Biden administration.
As the confirmation process for Hegseth continues, Sen. Mullin remains optimistic about the outcome and is prepared to defend the nominee against any potential attacks from the opposition. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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Oklahoma Senator Mullin, Hegseth confirmation, Democrats targeting, political predictions, Senate confirmation process, GOP nominees, Democratic opposition, political strategies
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