{"id":2394552,"date":"2025-01-23T21:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T02:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-advances-final-confirmation-hearing-looms\/"},"modified":"2025-01-23T21:41:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T02:41:28","slug":"hegseth-advances-final-confirmation-hearing-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-advances-final-confirmation-hearing-looms\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth Advances, Final Confirmation Hearing Looms"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/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%2Fhegseth-advances-final-confirmation-hearing-looms%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=2394552&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>Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth is one \u2064step closer to becoming the U.S.Secretary of \u200cDefense after the Senate voted 51-49 to advance his nomination. However,the nomination faces a final vote hurdle,which could\u200c occur soon. Hegseth&#8217;s \u200bbid has faced complications, including \u200ballegations from his former sister-in-law of\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">physical \u200badn sexual abuse<\/a> toward \u2064his ex-wife,\u2063 Samantha, though she denied these claims publicly. Two Republican senators, \u200dLisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, joined Democrats in their opposition to Hegseth, with Collins expressing \u2063concerns over his past comments regarding women in combat and his \u2064limited\u200c managerial experience. \u200cDespite the challenges, Senate Armed Services \u200bCommittee \u200bChairman Roger Wicker\u2062 suggested Hegseth may still be confirmed,\u2062 potentially with a tie-breaking vote \u2064from\u200c Vice President J.D. \u200dVance.  <\/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\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?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<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth on Thursday took a major step closer to winning his bid to become U.S. secretary of defense.<\/p>\n<p>On a 51-49 vote, the Senate advanced Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination to lead the Defense Department. That leaves Hegseth with the massive hurdle of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/times-up-founders-allegedly-helped-cuomo-discredit-accuser-lindsey-boylan-investigation-finds\/\" title=\"TIME\u2019S UP Founders Allegedly Helped Cuomo Discredit Accuser Lindsey Boylan, Investigation Finds\">final confirmation vote<\/a>, which could come Friday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/pete-hegseths-nomination-lead-pentagon-clears-key-hurdle-senate-rcna188932\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>Two Republicans &mdash; Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine &mdash; joined Democrats in trying to halt Hegseth&rsquo;s advance.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday&rsquo;s vote came after Hegseth faced new troubles, with a former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, claiming in an 11th-hour affidavit that he&rsquo;d been physically and sexually abusive toward his second wife, Samantha.<\/p>\n<p>The couple married in 2010 and divorced in 2018, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/21\/us\/politics\/hegseth-senators-affidavit.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In the affidavit, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/hegseth-senate-confirmation-vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox<\/a>, Danielle Hegseth &mdash; the former wife of Hegseth&rsquo;s brother &mdash; admitted she never witnessed the violence herself.<\/p>\n<p>However, she claimed that she knew Samantha Hegseth was in fear of Pete Hegseth during their marriage.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, in court papers in 2021 dealing with the divorced couples&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fani-willis-moves-to-quash-subpoena-for-her-testimony-involving-conflict-of-interest-allegations\/\" title=\"Fani Willis seeks to block subpoena for her testimony on conflict of interest claims\">child custody arrangements<\/a>, &ldquo;a Minnesota family court judge said that neither Pete nor Samantha Hegseth claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse,&rdquo; the Times reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The judge also said that there was no determination by the court that there was probable cause to believe that one parent &lsquo;has been physically abused or threatened with physical abuse by the other parent.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In an  interview with NBC, Samantha Hegseth was even clearer:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There was no physical abuse in my marriage,&rdquo; she wrote Tuesday, according to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/senators-received-affidavit-containing-new-allegations-pete-hegseth-de-rcna188342\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC report<\/a> published the same day. &ldquo;This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Neither Collins nor Murkowski &mdash; two Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gop-senator-susan-collins-throws-wrench-trumps-cabinet-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">considered most likely<\/a> to cause problems for President Donald Trump&rsquo;s cabinet nominees &mdash; specifically cited Danielle Hegseth&rsquo;s accusations in statements explaining their votes.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorCollins\/status\/1882517564435140987\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> on the social media platform X, Collins wrote that Hegseth&rsquo;s past statements about women in military service &mdash; including his once-blanket opposition to women serving in combat &mdash; as well as his limited &ldquo;managerial&rdquo; experience set her against him.<\/p>\n<p>Murkowski apparently alluded to Danielle Hegseth&rsquo;s claims in her <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lisamurkowski\/status\/1882496900223377719\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> on X, but wrote that that wasn&rsquo;t the only problem with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/numerous-former-colleagues-pete-hegseth-rush-set-record-straight-nbcs-cowardly-hit-piece\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth&rsquo;s past<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>She also cited Hegseth&rsquo;s opposition to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dem-senator-infuriated-pete-hegseths-take-women-combat-roles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">combat roles for women<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pete-hegseths-composed-confirmation-hearing-performance-convinced-right-people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">largely successful<\/a> confirmation hearings, Hegseth modified that stance somewhat to say women should be able to serve in combat if they are held to the same physical standards as men, according to a Jan. 14 report by <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/hegseth-softens-stance-women-combat-calls-policies-place\/story?id=117669190#:~:text=In%20his%20public%20bid%20to%20become%20the%20next,has%20been%20in%20place%20for%20nearly%20a%20decade.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABC News<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p>Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, predicted that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dems-hopes-dreams-crushed-one-word-pete-hegseths-fbi-background-check-submitted-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth will be confirmed<\/a> in a final vote, according to NBC.<\/p>\n<p>However, it might be close enough that it happens only with Vice President J.D. Vance casting a tie-breaking vote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If I were J.D. Vance, I&rsquo;d stick around,&rdquo; Wicker said, according to NBC.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth moved significantly closer to becoming U.S. secretary of defense after the Senate voted 51-49 to advance his nomination. He now faces a crucial final confirmation vote, potentially scheduled for Friday, according to NBC News. Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, joined Democrats in opposing Hegseth&#8217;s nomination. This vote followed allegations from Hegseth&#8217;s former sister-in-law claiming he was abusive toward his second wife, Samantha, although she admitted she had not witnessed any violence herself. In previous court proceedings regarding custody arrangements in their divorce, both Pete and Samantha denied being victims of domestic abuse. Samantha later stated there was no physical abuse during their marriage and requested privacy regarding her past with Pete. Collins expressed concerns over Hegseth\u2019s views on women in military roles and his limited managerial experience as reasons for her opposition. Murkowski referenced the allegations against him but noted they were not the sole reason for her concerns about his suitability for leading the armed forces. Despite these challenges, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker predicted that Hegseth would likely be confirmed in a final vote that could require Vice President J.D. Vance to cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2394553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Hegseth-to-be-confirmed.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[45014,45173,5894,3740],"class_list":["post-2394552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-confirmation-hearing","tag-hegseth","tag-politics","tag-senate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Hegseth-to-be-confirmed.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394552","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2394552"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2394556,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394552\/revisions\/2394556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2394553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2394552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2394552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2394552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}