Trump and GOP think Hegseth has the votes to win Senate confirmation
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President Trump's transition team is quietly confident that Pete Hegseth will survive the latest allegation against him, transition officials and senators tell Axios.
Why it matters: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) hinted Wednesday that she might vote against Hegseth, referencing a sworn affidavit by his brother's ex-wife. Collins' comments ricocheted across the Republican Party.
- Some Republicans are privately concerned that Collins, along with Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will ultimately vote against Hegseth.
- Hegseth can still get confirmed with three GOP "no" votes, as Vice President Vance is available to break a potential 50-50 deadlock.
Zoom in: Danielle Hegseth alleged in her affidavit that Pete Hegseth's then-wife feared for her safety while married to him. Senators reviewed the affidavit yesterday. Hegseth denies the allegations.
- In her sworn statement, Danielle Hegseth stated she went public with her story to convince wavering senators to oppose his nomination.
Zoom In: The Trump transition insisted that only the chair and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee would have access to Hegseth's FBI file, citing the precedent of Biden's nominees.
- That means only Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) are in a position to adjudicate if the information that Danielle Hegseth shared with the FBI during a Dec. 30 interview was included in their background check.
- She spoke again with the FBI on Jan. 18, according to her affidavit.
What they are saying: Those two senators have different views on whether the FBI report incorporates her allegations.
- Wicker told Axios the affidavit was not "inconsistent with the FBI report."
- "It's not a show-stopper," he said.
- Reed took the opposite view. "I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this affidavit confirms that fact," he said in a statement yesterday.
The bottom line: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who was previously skeptical about Hegseth, was dismissive of the new allegations.
- "The (ex) wife has denied the allegations and simply wants to be left alone," Ernst told Axios. "So if she says it did not happen, the other does not carry weight."
