By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to guide the Protection Division, mentioned he had a “great dialog” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win sufficient votes for affirmation. He mentioned he won’t again down after allegations of extreme ingesting and sexual misconduct.
Collins mentioned after the hourlong assembly that she questioned Hegseth in regards to the allegations amid stories of ingesting and the revelation that he made a settlement cost after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She mentioned she had a “good, substantive” dialogue with Hegseth and “coated a variety of matters,” together with sexual assault within the navy, Ukraine and NATO. However she mentioned she would wait till a listening to, and notably a background examine, to decide.
“I requested nearly each query beneath the solar,” Collins advised reporters as she left her workplace after the assembly. “I pressed him each on his place on navy points in addition to the allegations in opposition to him, so I don’t suppose there was something that we didn’t cowl.”
The assembly with Collins was carefully watched as she is seen as extra seemingly than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote in opposition to a few of Trump’s Cupboard picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow average Republican, didn’t shy from opposing Trump in his first time period once they wished to take action and generally supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and govt branches.
And Hegseth, an infantry fight veteran and former “Fox & Pals” weekend host, is working to realize as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed considerations about his private historical past and lack of administration expertise.
“I’m definitely not going to imagine something about the place the senator stands,” Hegseth mentioned as he left Collins’ workplace. “This can be a course of that we respect and respect. And we hope, in time, general, after we get by that committee and to the ground that we will earn her help.”
Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has additionally been assembly repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a navy veteran who has mentioned she is a survivor of sexual assault and has frolicked within the Senate engaged on enhancing how assaults are reported and prosecuted throughout the ranks. On Monday, Ernst mentioned after a gathering with him that he had dedicated to choosing a senior official to prioritize these targets.
Republicans could have a 53-49 majority subsequent yr, that means Trump can’t lose greater than three votes on any of his nominees. It’s so far unclear whether or not Hegseth could have sufficient help, however Trump has stepped up his strain on senators within the final week.
“Pete is a WINNER, and there may be nothing that may be executed to alter that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform final week.
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