Trump’s controversial defence secretary pick has narrowly been confirmed by the Senate. [Getty]
Pete Hegseth, US President Donald Trump’s pick for Defence Secretary, which has been marred in controversy over allegations of sexual assault and violence, angry outbursts, and anti-Muslim statements, was confirmed by the Senate in a tie-breaking vote Friday night.
In the hours leading up to the confirmation, as more allegations of misconduct were continuing to surface, the breakdown of the votes remained unclear, as several Republican senators seemed to have reservations about the important position. In the end, however, as expected, the majority party largely united in their confirmation vote.
Hegseth made it through with the narrowest margin of any defence secretary, with three Republicans voting against him: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, with Vice President (and president of the Senate) JD Vance giving him the tie-breaking vote he needed.
His confirmation was contentious from the outset, with civil and human rights advocates raising concerns over his background.
In addition to allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence, Hegseth has called for the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque, has advocated for US military personnel accused of war crimes, and has made angry public outbursts about Muslims.
“Mr. Hegseth’s war-mongering, defense of those accused of war crimes, call for the destruction of Al Aqsa mosque, and his virulently anti-Muslim views should disqualify him from any role in our nation’s government,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a public statement following the announcement of the nomination in November.
Last week, CAIR issued another statement urging senators to carefully scrutinise nominees to Trump’s White House team, many of whom have expressed extreme right-wing positions. At one point, there were suggestions that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could replace Hegseth as a nominee.
They issued a letter to senators in leadership positions on the Armed Services Committee urging them to consider Hegseth’s instances of hostility towards Muslims, including a reported outburst of him yelling “kill all Muslims” while intoxicated, saying that Islam is not a religion of peace, and calling for the destruction of Muslim holy sites.
“Confirming Mr. Hegseth would send a clear signal of disregard for religious freedom and civil liberties—both to Muslim allies, Muslim service members, who courageously put their lives on the line, and to all Americans who treasure our constitutional principles of equality and inclusivity,” the letter reads.
The confirmation of Hegseth, who has no experience holding political office, is one of the first in a series of votes on Trump’s administration picks, largely made up of loyalists, many of whom are seen as too extreme for Democrats and civil rights advocates.
Â
