Jan 13, 2025 - Politics & Policy
Scoop ... Hegseth red line
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Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing is becoming a test of will for Republicans on ensuring FBI files aren't distributed throughout the entire Senate.
Why it matters: The Trump transition team is demanding the president-elect's nominees be treated the same way they insist Joe Biden's were.
- That means no FBI file access for rank-and-file senators, according to two people familiar with the matter.
- Senate Armed Services chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) have been briefed on the report. Others have not.
Zoom in: Wicker privately raised the idea of letting his full committee see Hegseth's file, but Trump officials are opposed to sharing it, according to a person familiar with the matter.
- The Trump team wants to hold the line on having a consistent standard for all nominees.
- Look for them to fight any effort to release Hegseth's file, even if Wicker says there's not much of interest.
- "Chairman Wicker and President-elect Trump are on the same page when it comes to having his nominees undergo the confirmation process in an orderly fashion that honors Senate precedent," a Wicker spokesperson said.
Zoom out: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Dems huddled tonight on how to respond, as we scooped earlier.
- Democrats admit the precedent is on the GOP's side. But they say the nature of Hegseth's nomination — including allegations of sexual misconduct that he's denied — at least deserves a conversation.
- "We should all be able to see the report and draw our own conclusions about how incomplete it is and even in the modest amount it covers, how much damage it does to Mr. Hegseth," Armed Services committee member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told us.
— Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam
