Former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth, who has been at the center of multiple allegations of sexual assault and substance abuse, is inching closer to becoming the next defense secretary as he is seemingly turning around Senators once opposed to him.
Most notably, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a leader in the fight against sexual assault in the military and who has been hesitant to support Hegseth, said she would give him the chance to make a case for his nomination at a public confirmation hearing next month after meeting with him.
"We're having really good discussions, and we discussed several items that were really important to me," Ernst said after ending her second huddle in less than a week with Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon.
Ernst said she extracted commitments from Hegseth on auditing the Pentagon and naming a senior official whose purview would include tackling military sexual assault. She called their discussions "encouraging" and said several times that she is supporting Hegseth "through the process" or "supporting the process" without saying if she plans to vote to confirm him.
"It was a very productive meeting," she told reporters on Monday evening. "We're just moving through the process, but he does respect that I'm taking the time."
Ernst is a survivor of sexual assault and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee overseeing Hegseth's nomination. She has also helped lead the effort to increase accountability for sexual crimes in the military.
On the other hand, Hegseth, a former national guardsman at Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, has been accused of sexual assault, allegations he has denied. He also faces other allegations of alcohol abuse and mismanagement of nonprofits dedicated to veterans. Him, along with other Senators, have identified Ernst as a critical piece in Hegseth's chances of getting confirmed by the Senate.
The Senator's meeting with Hegseth comes after she said over the weekend she's not ready to support him, citing her sexual assault experience as her main reason for skepticism.
"I am a survivor of sexual assault so I have worked very heavily on sexual assault measures within the military, so I'd like to hear a little more about that, and I'd like to hear about the role of women in our great United States military," she said last week.
Ernst has faced some backlash for her reluctance to support Hegseth's nomination last week, with the Iowa Attorney General publishing a column criticizing "D.C. politicians" who "think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years."
Ernst herself has been floated as a potential Department of Defense alternative to Hegseth, according to Axios.
Other potential detractors to Hegseth's appointment are set to meet with him this week, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). They have both indicated to have a lot of questions for the nominee, including about his alleged sexual misconduct.
