{"id":2395001,"date":"2025-01-24T21:57:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T02:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-defense-secretary\/"},"modified":"2025-01-24T21:57:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T02:57:44","slug":"senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-defense-secretary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-defense-secretary\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Confirms Pete Hegseth As Defense Secretary"},"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\">14<\/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%2Fsenate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-defense-secretary%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=2395001&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>The article\u2064 discusses the\u2062 recent confirmation of pete\u2062 Hegseth as the new defense secretary of \u200bthe United States. after enduring a\u2062 lengthy media smear campaign against his nomination, the Senate confirmed Hegseth with a narrow vote of 51-50, \u2064with Vice president J.D. \u2062Vance casting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-dems-will-pass-covid-relief-bill-with-or-without-gop\/\" title=\"Schumer: Dems will pass COVID relief bill with or without GOP\">tie-breaking vote<\/a>. Key Republican senators,including Susan Collins,Lisa Murkowski,adn Mitch McConnell,opposed the nomination alongside Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth&#8217;s confirmation followed a partisan advance \u200bin the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he received support from Republicans but faced opposition from Democrats.\u200d During his confirmation hearing, he defended his qualifications passionately, highlighting his combat experience as a leader of \u2062troops. Despite the challenges, including pushback from members of the GOP and a campaign led by Senator Joni Ernst to undermine his nomination, Hegseth garnered considerable support from the veterans&#8217; community, which rallied in his\u2064 favor prior \u200bto the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Hegseth&#8217;s confirmation was part of a broader set of appointments, including Marco Rubio as Secretary of \u2063State and John Ratcliffe as \u2063CIA \u200cDirector. The article portrays Hegseth&#8217;s \u2064journey to confirmation as a contentious battle marked by both \u200dmedia scrutiny and political maneuvering, concluding\u2063 with\u200b a note on his support from military veterans.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:U.S._Marines_Conduct_Cake_Cutting_Ceremony_on_Fox_and_Friends_(3).jpg\">Staff Sgt. Theodore Bergan\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/24\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-americas-next-defense-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Senate%20Confirms%20Pete%20Hegseth%20As%20America%E2%80%99s%20Next%20Defense%20Secretary&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/24\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-americas-next-defense-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Senate%20Confirms%20Pete%20Hegseth%20As%20America%E2%80%99s%20Next%20Defense%20Secretary&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/24\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-americas-next-defense-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/24\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-americas-next-defense-secretary\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Senate%20Confirms%20Pete%20Hegseth%20As%20America%E2%80%99s%20Next%20Defense%20Secretary&amp;body=Following%20a%20months-long%20media%20smear%20campaign,%20the%20Senate%20voted%20to%20confirm%20Pete%20Hegseth%20as%20America's%20next%20defense%20secretary%20Friday%20night.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/24\/senate-confirms-pete-hegseth-as-americas-next-defense-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Following a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">months-long media smear campaign aimed<\/a> at tanking his nomination, the Senate voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as America&rsquo;s next defense secretary Friday night. The final vote was 51-50, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposition.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/20\/senate-committee-advances-pete-hegseths-defense-secretary-nomination-to-final-floor-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advanced<\/a> to the full Senate for consideration by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday. The committee vote came along partisan lines, with Republicans supporting the Army veteran and Democrats opposing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1150436928\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>During last week&rsquo;s confirmation hearing, Hegseth weathered <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/14\/democrats-hegseth-hearing-theatrics-prove-theyre-unserious-about-u-s-national-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disgusting<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/15\/jag-off-day-in-a-word-democrats-beclown-themselves-at-hegseth-confirmation-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attacks<\/a> from the committee&rsquo;s Senate Democrats and made <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/14\/pete-hegseth-makes-the-definitive-case-why-hes-qualified-to-be-trumps-defense-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the case<\/a> for why he&rsquo;s the man to lead the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Like many of my generation, I&rsquo;ve been there. I&rsquo;ve led troops in combat, been on patrol for days, pulled a trigger downrange, heard bullets whiz by, flex-cuffed insurgents, called in close air support, led medevacs, dodged IEDs, pulled out dead bodies, and knelt before a battlefield cross,&rdquo; Hegseth said. &ldquo;[T]his is not academic for me; this is my life. I led then, and I will lead now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Army veteran&rsquo;s road to confirmation was no easy feat. In addition to a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/20\/court-records-blow-holes-in-the-new-york-times-latest-anti-hegseth-smear\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">relentless<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/22\/medias-regurgitation-of-baseless-hegseth-allegations-prove-they-learned-nothing-post-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">media<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/23\/this-isnt-journalism-gop-sen-bill-hagerty-blasts-propaganda-medias-smear-campaign-against-pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">smear operation<\/a> comprised of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/04\/100-percent-bullsh-t-fox-news-talent-shoot-down-nbcs-smear-campaign-against-pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anonymous accusations<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/23\/cnns-last-minute-hit-piece-against-pete-hegseth-is-a-giant-nothingburger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vapid<\/a> hit pieces, Hegseth faced initial opposition from members of the Senate GOP.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks after Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon, Trump world sources <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/04\/trump-world-sources-joni-ernst-is-waging-aggressive-personal-jihad-against-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Federalist that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was leading a behind-the-scenes campaign to tank Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination. This included Ernst making phone calls to Trump to convince him to dump Hegseth and enlisting Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to lobby the president-elect to replace Hegseth with Ernst.<\/p>\n<p>Both Ernst and Graham&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/09\/i-support-pete-ernst-changes-tune-following-second-hegseth-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">changed<\/a>&nbsp;their&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2024\/12\/11\/petes-hegseth-turned-confirmation-fight-around-seven-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tunes<\/a>&nbsp;on Hegseth&rsquo;s nomination following The Federalist&rsquo;s reporting and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-will-be-supporting-pete-joni-ernst-backs-hegseth-confirmation\/\" title=\"&#039;I Will Be Supporting Pete&#039;: Joni Ernst Backs Hegseth Confirmation\">subsequent conservative backlash<\/a>. Both GOP senators voted in favor of Hegseth&rsquo;s confirmation on Friday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/21\/why-pete-hegseth-is-the-right-man-to-run-the-pentagon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why Pete Hegseth Is The Right Man To Run The Pentagon<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For all the obstacles in his path, Hegseth enjoyed <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/13\/petes-a-patriot-more-than-100-military-veterans-rally-to-support-hegseths-pentagon-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">widespread support<\/a> from America&rsquo;s veteran community. Leading up to his confirmation hearing, more than 100 former service members and other supporters rallied in Washington, D.C. to encourage Senate Republicans to support his nomination. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These are warfighters. That&rsquo;s who support[s] Pete. That&rsquo;s who&rsquo;s on this podium. These are men and women who put it on the line for our country. And they&rsquo;re telling you the way it is,&rdquo; Navy SEAL veteran Bill Brown&nbsp;said during a Jan. 13 press conference. <\/p>\n<p>Other Trump appointees confirmed by the Senate this week include Marco Rubio as secretary of state and John Ratcliffe as CIA director. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/defense-secretary\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Defense Secretary<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/media-lies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Media lies<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military-readiness\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military readiness<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pentagon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/politics\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-confirmation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate confirmation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-republicans\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as defense secretary despite a media smear campaign<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2395002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Pete-Hegseth-2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[16629,35456,44930,5894,3740],"class_list":["post-2395001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-confirmation","tag-defense-secretary","tag-pete-hegseth","tag-politics","tag-senate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Pete-Hegseth-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395001","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2395001"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2395005,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395001\/revisions\/2395005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2395002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2395001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2395001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2395001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}