The Republican senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski and her colleague for Maine Susan Collins announced this Thursday that they will vote against the appointment of the controversial as Secretary of Defense of the United States, becoming the first from the president’s party, to speak out against one of the nominees to join his Administration.
Murkowski has detailed that, after meeting with Hegseth and making an “exhaustive evaluation” of his statements, he cannot “in good conscience” support his appointment as head of the Pentagon, an institution that “requires vast experience and knowledge” as one of the “most complex and powerful organizations in the world”, by not considering him qualified for it.
“I commend Pete Hegseth’s service to our nation, including leading troops in combat and defending our veterans. However, these accomplishments do not alleviate my significant concerns regarding his nomination,” Murkowski said, noting that ” Hegseth’s roles” in his career do not show him that he can be “prepared for such an immense responsibility.
In a message on his official profile on the social network the members of the Administration.
Thus, the senator from Alaska has acknowledged that one of the aspects that she has taken into account when making this decision has been the criticism of Hegseth’s financial management and problems with the work culture during her time at the head of veterans’ organizations. , as well as his statements against allowing women in the Armed Forces to take part in combat operations.
“Although he has recently revised his statements regarding women in combat since he was nominated, I remain concerned about the message that Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” said Murkowski, who weighs in. that women in the US military “deserve to know that their leader honors and values their commitment to the nation.”
On the other hand, Murkowski has acknowledged her concerns about aspects of Hegseth’s private life, such as “excessive alcohol consumption” or “infidelity on multiple occasions”, acts that, added to the accusations of sexual assault, fuel his theory that Trump’s nominee displays a “lack of judgment that is not typical for someone who will lead the Armed Forces.”
“Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait of the Secretary of Defense and that it must be an uncompromising priority. The leader of the Department of Defense must demonstrate and model the standards of conduct and character that we expect of all members of the Armed Forces, and the nomination of Mr. Hegseth for the position raises important concerns that I cannot ignore,” he stressed.
Shortly after, Collins has followed in Murkowski’s footsteps and, in an extensive writing on her social networks, has also alluded to Hegseth’s lack of experience to head a key Department in the US Administration and which also faces a complex stage after four years of “ineffective leadership” from former President Joe Biden.
“I am also concerned about the multiple statements that Mr. Hegseth has made, including some in the months prior to his nomination, about the service of women in the Army,” said Collins, who acknowledged that she had a conversation with Hegseth in December. in which she acknowledged her “apparent evolution of opinions”, although the senator questions it.
“Women represent almost 18 percent of our active-duty Army and continue to make critical and valuable contributions to our national defense,” said Collins, who has also been in favor of those women who meet “the rigorous standards “to exercise combat functions they can do so.
Finally, Collins has slipped that Hegseth “seems not to have sufficient understanding” of some issues relating to the behavior of military personnel and that they are “codified” in the country’s laws. “Our prohibitions against torture come from American laws and treaties ratified by the United States, including the Geneva Conventions,” he stressed.
Admits payment to sexual assault victim
Hegseth has admitted before the Senate Armed Services Committee to having paid $50,000 (48,000 euros) as part of a confidentiality agreement to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, according to documents obtained by the US television network CNN.
Trump’s nominee to head the Pentagon has specified the amount of money after his defense confessed last week to the existence of that payment to The Washington Post, confirming that the agreement included a confidentiality clause to prevent the victim from tried to tarnish his career as a presenter on the Fox News network with an “upsetting accusation” that, as he has pointed out, is false.
Hegseth made this statement in a written correspondence addressed to the Committee, after being asked about these events that took place in Monterrey, in the state of California, in 2017, by the Democratic senator of the state of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren.
His lawyer, Tim Parlatore, has once again defended his client in statements to CNN: “As we said from the beginning, these are false lawsuits with which we reached an agreement for a nuisance value, much less than what it would have cost. the defense.”
In doubt
Hegseth, an Army veteran and presenter for the conservative FOX News network, was chosen by Trump to lead the Department of Defense for this second term, which began on Monday with the inauguration in Washington.
The appointments must be ratified by the Senate, where Republicans have a majority, but some are critical of the extreme positions of Trump and those appointed to accompany him in this second term in the White House.
After the November elections, the Republicans obtained 53 of the 100 seats that make up the US Upper House, a majority that is also supported by the vote of the country’s vice president, JD Vance, who would tip the balance in the event of a tie.
This means that Democrats need four wayward Republicans to overthrow the nominations for the Trump Administration. Murkowski and Collins could be joined by other Republican senators who refuse to back Hegseth in the vote on Friday night (local time).
