Yesterday, Matt covered how there were a handful of Senate Republicans who were on the fence if they would vote to confirm Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense.
Fox News reported that the three senators in question were Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Now, one of them has broken their silence.
In a lengthy post on X, Murkowski explained that she would vote against confirming Hegseth.
“After thorough evaluation, I must conclude that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense. I did not make this decision lightly; I take my constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with the utmost seriousness,” she claimed.
“I commend Pete Hegseth’s service to our nation, including leading troops in combat and advocating for our veterans. However, these accomplishments do not alleviate my significant concerns regarding his nomination…Mr. Hegseth’s prior roles in his career do not demonstrate to me that he is prepared for such immense responsibility. His leadership of two veteran organizations was marked with accusations of financial mismanagement and problems with the workplace culture he fostered,” she added, before going in on his personal life.
“While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces…I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise. The leader of the Department of Defense must demonstrate and model the standards of behavior and character we expect of all servicemembers, and Mr. Hegseth’s nomination to the role poses significant concerns that I cannot overlook,” she concluded.
Since Mr. Hegseth’s nomination last November, I have met with him and carefully reviewed his writings, various reports, and other pertinent materials. I closely followed his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and gathered substantial feedback from organizations,…
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) January 23, 2025
Hegseth has denied that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. Additionally, he denied that he mismanaged the finances of the veterans groups he spearheaded.
This week, Murkowski came out against Trump’s idea to change the name of Denali back to Mt. McKinley, as Townhall covered.
