Senate confirms Pete Hegseth as new secretary of defense

Vice President J.D. Vance late on Friday cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the new chief of the Pentagon. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sided with all Democrats in opposing Hegseth’s confirmation. Their decision to cross the aisle split the chamber 50-50, requiring Vance to break the tie.

Hegseth proved to be one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees, as Senators confronted him during his confirmation hearing with pointed questions about his professional background, rhetoric about women in the military, and past alcohol abuse. He also answered questions about a claim of sexual misconduct that he had settled.

Did Hegseth have anything to say about his confirmation? While going through the confirmation process, Hegseth promised Senators that he was no longer abusing alcohol and that he respected women. He also claimed that the sexual misconduct allegation was the product of a media campaign intended to smear his reputation.

What is his background? Hegseth served as an infantry captain with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay. He has recently been employed as co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend on the Fox News Channel and a regular guest host on other channel programs. Hegseth has a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University. He is also an outspoken Christian and previously served as the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking the oath of office for his new position.