{"id":2379082,"date":"2024-12-11T17:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T22:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-collins-absolutely-wants-to-hear-from-hegseth-accuser\/"},"modified":"2024-12-11T17:59:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T22:59:52","slug":"susan-collins-absolutely-wants-to-hear-from-hegseth-accuser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-collins-absolutely-wants-to-hear-from-hegseth-accuser\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Collins &#8216;absolutely&#8217; wants to hear from Hegseth accuser"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsusan-collins-absolutely-wants-to-hear-from-hegseth-accuser%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2379082&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Susan Collins has expressed interest in hearing\u2064 from a witness related to the\u200b allegations of\u2064 sexual assault against Pete Hegseth, who is nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of defense secretary. Collins stated that she believes any facts from the witness could assist in\u2062 the decision-making process regarding Hegseth&#8217;s confirmation. The allegations stem from\u2063 a 2017 incident \u2064that Hegseth claims was consensual, alongside\u2063 additional accusations concerning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-who-set-fire-at-illinois-planned-parenthood-clinic-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison\/\" title=\"Arsonist at Illinois Planned Parenthood Clinic gets 10-year jail term.\">alcohol\u200d abuse<\/a> \u2062and mismanagement of veterans&#8217; groups.<\/p>\n<p>Collins met with Hegseth for\u200c over an hour and a half, raising concerns about the allegations during their \u200ddiscussion. She emphasized the importance of an FBI background check currently underway and indicated she would await the results of committee hearings before making a \u2062final decision on his nomination. It\u200c is uncertain whether \u200dthe witness will come forward \u2062publicly, especially since there was a \u2064confidential \u200csettlement involved.<\/p>\n<p>This situation\u200c draws parallels to past contentious confirmation processes, including those of supreme \u200dCourt\u200b Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, where \u2063the\u200b nominees faced serious allegations and intense \u200bscrutiny from the Senate. Collins, along with other Republican \u200cfemale senators, has shown skepticism about Hegseth&#8217;s appointment, indicating the confirmation may be a contentious issue.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Sen. Susan Collins said she &lsquo;absolutely&rsquo; would like to hear from Hegseth accuser<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1909789\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)\">Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)<\/a> said she&rsquo;d be interested in hearing from the witness involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3231227\/pete-hegseth-sexual-assault-investigation-trump-team-vetting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"alleged sexual assault\">alleged sexual assault<\/a> involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Pete Hegseth\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s nominee for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Department of Defense\">defense<\/a> secretary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Absolutely, that someone, if they are willing to come forward, might say something that can help us through the decision-making,&rdquo; Collins said, speaking to reporters following her first meeting with Hegseth on Wednesday. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3240974\/meet-new-congress-house-senate-freshmen-119th\/\"><strong>MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s embattled nominee is facing accusations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3237208\/police-report-reveals-details-pete-hegseth-assault-claim\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">sexual assault<\/a> stemming from a 2017 incident that he said was consensual. He also is facing allegations involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/pete-hegseths-drinking-worried-colleagues-fox-news-sources-tell-nbc-ne-rcna181471\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">alcohol abuse<\/a> and accusations that he mismanaged two conservative veterans&rsquo; groups. <\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s unclear if the witness would be willing to publicly come forward since she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3237208\/police-report-reveals-details-pete-hegseth-assault-claim\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">received a payment <\/a>as part of a confidential settlement or if the committee would subpoena her to testify.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The confirmation fight could resemble the battle over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh&rsquo;s nomination that rocked the Senate in 2018 after the conservative judge was accused by Christine Blasey Ford <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/1921008\/holes-in-christine-blasey-fords-testimony-cast-doubt-that-brett-kavanaugh-was-her-assailant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">of sexual assault<\/a> at a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">high school party decades earlier<\/a>. Blasey Ford testified publicly and told senators she was &ldquo;100%&rdquo; certain Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her &mdash; but ultimately the Senate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/222186\/kavanaugh-confirmed-by-smallest-senate-margin-in-137-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">confirmed him<\/a> by a vote of 50-48.<\/p>\n<p>It also echoes another explosive sexual harassment allegation that dominated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas&rsquo;s nomination process in 1991 when Anita Hill was called to testify over allegations that he sexually harassed her while she worked with him at the Department of Education. Thomas, too, was approved in a 52-48 Senate vote in 1991.<\/p>\n<p>Collins is one of several Republican female senators who have voiced concerns and skepticism about Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination. She met with him for over an hour and a half Wednesday but remained uncommitted to supporting him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenatorCollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SenatorCollins<\/a> after her meeting with Hegseth: &ldquo;I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check and there is one underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth and I&rsquo;ll wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JkVCQXHfTN\">pic.twitter.com\/JkVCQXHfTN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamanthaJoRoth\/status\/1866943958330548273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check, and there is one underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth, and I&rsquo;ll wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision,&rdquo; Collins said, speaking to reporters after her meeting.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I asked virtually every question under the sun &mdash; I pressed him on both his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him. So, I don&rsquo;t think there was anything that we did not cover,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>The Maine senator said she asked Hegseth about his comments from a Nov. 7 podcast in which he said women <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3235874\/austin-takes-veiled-swipe-hegseth-military-women-make-us-stronger\/\">shouldn&rsquo;t be allowed<\/a> in combat. She said she wouldn&rsquo;t go into the back and forth but said she had reason to believe he could change his view on that topic.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s choice to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, as he speaks with reporters after meeting with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following the meeting, Hegseth appeared upbeat but acknowledged he was unsure whether he had earned Collins&rsquo;s support.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands. This is a process that we respect and appreciate,&rdquo; he said to reporters. &ldquo;We hope through time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor, that we can earn her support.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about earning support in this process, in ongoing conversations. And we&rsquo;re doing this for the warfighters,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has said he intends to support Hegseth but warned he&rsquo;s likely to undergo a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-praises-senators-over-nomination-process-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Hegseth praises senators over nomination process - Washington Examiner\">grueling confirmation process<\/a>, and senators will be likely to scrutinize the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just told him and his wife, I said, &lsquo;This is going to be a very difficult process on all of you,&rsquo;&rdquo; Cornyn said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/5034529-john-cornyn-pete-hegseth-confirmation-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reporting\">reporting<\/a> from the<em> Hill. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Cornyn added he&rsquo;s &ldquo;been through a lot of Supreme Court nomination fights, including Brett Kavanaugh, and that may pale in comparison to what may be thrown at Pete.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Senate Republicans will hold a 53 to 47 majority in the next Congress, which means Trump can only afford three defections to get Hegseth confirmed if all 47 of next year&rsquo;s Democratic caucus oppose him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth&rsquo;s odds of confirmation appear to be improving as some senators have begun to sound more optimistic and positive following their meetings with him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a female combat veteran, met with Hegseth twice in less than a week. The Iowa senator, who has been a leader in the fight against sexual assault in the military and has spoken out about being sexually assaulted herself, said Hegseth should have a chance to make his case at a public confirmation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re moving through the process,&rdquo; she told reporters Tuesday. &ldquo;He does respect I&rsquo;m taking the time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ernst and several other senators have signaled that &ldquo;anonymous sources&rdquo; may not be enough to tank Hegseth&rsquo;s chances of being the next defense secretary.&nbsp;The woman who filed the police report against Hegseth claiming sexual assault has not been publicly identified.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I look forward to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-support-pete-ernst-changes-tune-on-hegseth-nomination\/\" title=\"&#039;I Support Pete&#039;: Ernst Changes Tune On Hegseth Nomination\">fair hearing based<\/a> on truth, not anonymous sources,&rdquo; Ernst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3255169\/joni-ernst-opens-door-supporting-pete-hegseth-nomination\/\">said in a statement on Monday,<\/a> repeating a similar critique used by men in the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>Betting markets have rebounded in Hegseth&rsquo;s favor over the last week. On Dec. 4, his Polymarket odds were at 11%, but on Wednesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/polymarket.com\/event\/which-trump-picks-will-be-confirmed?tid=1733929937980\">they stand<\/a> at 69% chance of confirmation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1909789\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1909789\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Susan Collins expressed interest in hearing from the accuser of Pete Hegseth, Trump&#8217;s defense secretary nominee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2379083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Susan-Collins-12-11-24-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8578,45173,34870],"class_list":["post-2379082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-accuser","tag-hegseth","tag-susan-collins"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Susan-Collins-12-11-24-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2379082"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2379086,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379082\/revisions\/2379086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2379083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2379082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2379082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2379082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}