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Pete Hegseth spoke of his “great meeting” with one Republican holdout facing pressure for her ongoing failure to commit to confirmation support.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

Across Capitol Hill, nominees selected for various roles to staff President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration continued meeting with congressmen to field questions and allay concerns. This included defense secretary nominee Hegseth who joined Fox News host Sean Hannity to recount his sit down with holdout Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R).

“It was a great meeting,” began the nominee on “Hannity.” “People don’t really know this. I’ve known Sen. Ernst for over 10 years. I knew her when she was a state senator running to be the first female combat veteran.”

“And we supported her in that effort, and have continued to because — you get into these meetings and you…get to listen to senators — it’s an amazing advise and consent process — and you hear how thoughtful, serious and substantive they are on these key issues that pertain to our Defense Department,” he continued. “And Joni Ernst is front and center on that. So to be able to have phone calls and meetings time and time again to talk over the issues is really, really important. The fact that she’s willing to support me through this process means a lot.”

Ernst’s hesitance in supporting the president-elect’s picks found her under the microscope and feeling the pressure of a potential primary challenge for her seat leading into the 2026 election cycle.

Notably, her record supporting “transgender people serving in our military” came under fire as even she acknowledged, “I know that’s controversial. But again, I’m looking at what’s good for our nation. And believe me, when we’re facing a recruiting challenge right now, if people are physically willing and able to serve our country, we want them to do so.”

The senator indicated “certain accommodations” would be needed to avoid making the rest of a unit “uncomfortable.”

After their meeting, Ernst released her own statement that failed to commit to a full-throated endorsement, “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.”

“As I support Pete through this process,” she added, “I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

With Utah Sen. Mitt Romney departing, Hegseth had two remaining Republican lawmakers known for opposing Trump to face: Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

“We will be meeting with Sen. Collins on Wednesday and Sen. Murkowski on Tuesday. And let me tell you, Sean, the founders got this right,” said Hegseth. “This is not a trivial process. This is a real thing: advise and consent of a nominee who the president has chosen. And I’m so grateful that President Trump would have the faith in me to lead the Defense Department, to choose me to do that. But this advise and consent process, meeting with all the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and they all have great questions, and my answers are for them.”

The nominee also further batted down allegations that had been brought against him, described as the “anatomy of a smear,” with anonymous sources and claims.

“I’m going to walk into the door of every one of these senators with just — as an open book, willing to answer their questions, because they deserve answers,” said Hegseth who welcomed an FBI background check and testimony under oath. “I’ve heard great things about all of these senators and the questions they want to ask, and we look forward to earning these votes. That’s what it’s about, ultimately earning the votes through the committee and through the entire U.S. Senate.”

Kevin Haggerty
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