Whenever a novel president prepares to take the reins, there is always some jockeying to fill key positions in the novel administration. Among these key roles, Cabinet positions are the most essential, and if so, Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) is not a major role. This is, after all, the person who will shape Defense Department policy for the next few years – and we see what a disaster the incumbent SECDEF has been.
President-elect Trump (no, I’m still not tired of typing that) has appointed former Fox News host – and Army combat zone veteran – Pete Hegseth to SECDEF, and I have to say, I like someone’s idea , who saw the elephant in this role for once. But the SECDEF must be approved by the Senate; The GOP’s hold on the Senate is still miniature, and there will be Republican dissenters.
One person who still seems undecided is Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA). In an exclusive interview with RealClearPolitics on Thursday, she explained exactly where She’s on the nomination.
Sen. Joni Ernst has not yet decided on appointing Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, but despite suggestions from some of her colleagues, the Iowa Republican told RealClearPolitics in an interview Thursday that she is not seeking that role for herself.
“I am not striving to become defense minister,” Ernst said afterwards Some on the left suggested She would be a better candidate than Hegseth and later Accused critics of the right She tried to scuttle his nomination for personal reasons. A combat veteran herself, she said that while she is “absolutely interested in the military,” her focus is on continuing her work on the Armed Services Committee and not on joining President-elect Trump’s Cabinet.
Senator Ernst further described the outline of her meeting with Pete Hegseth:
Ernst, a senior member of the committee responsible for the nomination, met with Hegseth on Wednesday as allegations of professional and sexual misconduct continue to cloud his hopes for confirmation.
“I’ve known Pete for a long time,” Ernst said of Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, adding, “I appreciated the time he took to sit with me and go through a number of topics , very much appreciated.” The senator described the conversation as “thorough” and the candidate as “very accommodating.” A sexual assault survivor, she confirmed that the two discussed the misconduct allegations during their 45-minute meeting.
It’s tough to infer any intent from this, although the suggestion that the conversation was “thorough” and that Pete Hegseth was “very forthcoming” suggests that the conversation went well.
Mike Davis, former chief counsel for nominations for the Senate Judiciary Committee, went to X to endorse the nominee and predicted that Senator Ernst would end up Vote to confirm Pete Hegseth.
Joni Ernst is the senator from my home state.
She will do her job and thoroughly vet all nominees.
And I expect she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth.
Just like she did with Judge Kavanaugh.
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Exclusive: Joni Ernst “I have no campaign against Pete” Hegsethhttps://t.co/44QeQh5I3N
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) December 6, 2024
The nomination has encountered several stumbling blocks in recent days.
See related: The Washington Post is going to landfill with a novel attack on Pete Hegseth’s military service
Scott Jennings points out obvious comparisons between Hegseth and Kavanaugh to the CNN panel in denial
It’s time again for us to have a SECDEF that has seen the elephant. It’s been a while since we had someone setting military policy and smelling the smoke, someone carrying a rifle in a combat zone, someone throwing mortar shells down the barrel. Pete Hegseth did these things. He appears to be the right candidate to transform the Department of Defense and the U.S. Armed Forces, abolish the “neurotic jobs program” and DEI horse pressure, and return our armed forces to their core mission: collaborating with the enemy and defeating them through fire, maneuver and destroy the shock effect.
It remains to be seen how Senator Ernst will vote on this nomination. If she truly cares about our armed forces, she will vote for confirmation. We need a warfighter for SECDEF.
