By Kristen Holmes, Jeremy Herb and Alayna Treene, CNN
(CNN) — Donald Trump’s allies are scrambling to save lots of Pete Hegseth after the president-elect’s decide to guide the Pentagon struggled to win over skeptical Republicans in a flurry of conferences on Capitol Hill this week.
Trump continues to be standing by his selection, telling Hegseth he needs to see him battle for votes within the Senate, sources near each informed CNN, although additionally they acknowledged that the president-elect may withdraw his help at any time.
Trump and people round him nonetheless see a pathway for Hegseth to be confirmed, the sources mentioned, although they famous the Senate math can change shortly — and a few of Trump’s allies are ramping up public stress on senators who’ve to date declined to decide to Hegseth.
The previous Fox Information host’s affirmation is in jeopardy amid a sequence of allegations associated to consuming and sexual misconduct which have emerged since he was chosen for the position. Whereas no Republican senators have publicly mentioned they won’t again Hegseth, many have mentioned they’ve considerations that they want addressed earlier than they’ll get behind him.
For Trump — who’s already misplaced one among his Cupboard picks as a consequence of Senate opposition – Hegseth’s destiny is poised to turn into a key early check of his relationship with Senate Republicans. A few of Trump’s allies consider the president-elect can’t give into the stress from senators over Hegseth, arguing that permitting them to tank one other key decide would give lawmakers an excessive amount of energy at a vital time for him.
“If he drops Pete because of pressure from establishment Republican senators, all it will do is have the effect of the Senate essentially controlling Trump and not the other way around,” one supply acquainted with transition talks informed CNN.
Trump’s continued backing – as of now – is a part of the explanation Hegseth has appeared extra bullish this week whereas he’s held vital conferences with Republican senators who will in the end resolve his future.
“I spoke to Trump this morning just a few minutes ago. He supports us fully,” Hegseth informed CNN Thursday when he arrived on Capitol Hill.
“I’m a different man than I was,” Hegseth mentioned after his conferences wrapped Thursday in response to questions on allegations of alcohol abuse. And on Wednesday, he took to conservative media and X to blast the accusations in opposition to him.
Sources acquainted with the matter argued that the scenario with Hegseth shouldn’t be the identical as what unfolded with Trump’s lawyer common decide, Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his identify final month after Trump informed him he didn’t have the votes to get confirmed.
“This is very different than the situation with Matt Gaetz. With Gaetz, you had multiple members who were legitimate hard no’s, whereas with Pete, I don’t think there’s a single actual hard no on the GOP side of the Senate right now,” one Trump world adviser informed CNN.
In contrast to with Gaetz, Trump has not been making a flurry of cellphone calls on to senators, sources mentioned. Trump has to date allowed his transition group to deal with the backchanneling because it pertains to Hegseth moderately than personally involving himself, two sources acquainted with the discussions mentioned.
Nonetheless, Vice President-elect JD Vance, a supporter of Hegseth and a present Ohio senator, has been speaking to his colleagues as Hegseth has been out and in of conferences on Capitol Hill.
Hypothesis swirls over potential Hegseth replacements
Trump’s allies on and off Capitol Hill have pushed Republican senators to get in line for Hegseth, noting that President Joe Biden’s protection secretary, Lloyd Austin, obtained 93 votes.
“If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin, but criticize @PeteHegseth, then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!” Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., wrote on X.
One Trump adviser mentioned that the president-elect’s help for Hegseth may wane if extra allegations floor. Trump’s transition group was blindsided by a 2017 sexual assault allegation in opposition to Hegseth – after which once more after a associated police report surfaced. Hegseth has denied the allegation, claiming the encounter was consensual, and no charges had been filed.
The avalanche of media studies on Hegseth’s alleged previous transgressions has brought on some round Trump to bitter on the decide. Transition group members have expressed frustration at what they mentioned was Hegseth’s lack of transparency and honesty about info that might be used in opposition to him, regardless of having been requested to reveal any potential headwinds on a number of events.
On the similar time, lots of Trump’s advisers and shut allies had been irritated over studies this week that the president-elect was mulling doable replacements, together with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, whose vote might be among the many most vital to Hegseth’s possibilities. Ernst, a fight veteran who’s taken on sexual assault within the army, has not mentioned whether or not she’ll help Hegseth.
The folks near Trump have since lobbied him immediately on Hegseth, in addition to tried to quash any curiosity he may need had in different candidates, together with reminding Trump of detrimental issues DeSantis particularly mentioned about him earlier this yr when the 2 had been in a heated main.
Sources acquainted with the discussions mentioned there’s a concern amongst Hegseth allies that Ernst and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are working to sink Hegseth in order that Ernst might be thought of as a protection secretary candidate as an alternative. CNN has beforehand reported Ernst’s identify was floated as a alternative for Hegseth.
An Ernst spokesman referred to as the hypothesis round her motives “absolutely not true. Ernst is not seeking the position, full stop.”
Graham mentioned the claims had been “complete crap.”
Some near Hegseth consider that if he can survive over the subsequent week, he will probably be Trump’s nominee, although he nonetheless should get by means of his affirmation listening to early subsequent yr.
Conferences with key GOP senators
Trump’s group has been watching Hegseth’s conferences with senators very carefully to gauge the place they stand — with a selected give attention to feminine senators like Ernst. Hegseth has repeatedly denied the allegations which have imperiled his affirmation and his lawyer Timothy Parlatore argued to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday that they had been “anonymous.”
On Wednesday, Hegseth’s mom made a plea to those feminine senators throughout an interview with Fox Information.
“I am here to tell the truth, to tell the truth to the American people, and tell the truth to the senators on the Hill, especially our female senators. I really hope that you will not listen to the media, and that you will listen to Pete,” mentioned Penelope Hegseth, who despatched an e mail to her son in 2018 that sharply criticized his therapy of ladies, The New York Occasions reported final week. (She informed the Occasions that she had instantly apologized to her son and that her personal characterization within the e mail “has never been true.”)
Pete Hegseth met with Ernst on Wednesday, however the senator declined to throw her help behind him. The Iowa Republican confirmed throughout an interview on Fox Information Thursday that she was not but able to again him.
“It doesn’t sound in your answer that you got to a yes?” host Invoice Hemmer requested.
“I think you are right,” Ernst responded. “I think, for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting.”
One other Republican on the Armed Providers Committee, Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, mentioned after his assembly with Hegseth Thursday that he nonetheless sees a path for him, however shouldn’t be able to decide to backing him – but.
“I really do see a path forward for him to be successful in being accepted by the Senate for this position, but he’s got more work to do,” Rounds mentioned. “I think he’s capable of doing that and I think the open hearings will help, so that he can respond publicly to the allegations that have been made – and, as near as I can tell, the vast majority of them anonymously.”
Senate Democrats, in the meantime, are contemplating how laborious they need to press to dig up extra details about Hegseth whereas they nonetheless management the chamber. Democrats on the Armed Providers Committee are weighing whether or not to subpoena Involved Veterans for America, the place Hegseth was president from 2013 to 2016, for a whistleblower report from former workers, a supply acquainted with the matter informed CNN.
The report, described in The New Yorker, alleged Hegseth was repeatedly intoxicated at work occasions and gatherings with workers. It additionally alleges that he sexually pursued feminine staffers, and that the group ignored one other staffer’s alleged sexual misconduct, in line with the journal. Hegseth has denied the allegations, together with his lawyer calling them “outlandish claims” from a “disgruntled former associate.”
Democrats have simply weeks earlier than the committee will fall into GOP management, after they would lose that subpoena energy. As CNN reported earlier this week, incoming Armed Providers Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, has mentioned he believes he’ll finally see the report.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who sits on the committee, requested the leaders of the panel to demand that two veterans teams that Hegseth led “preserve and produce” data associated to him — together with bank card transactions.
“It’s very interesting what the press likes to dub a whistleblower report, which some others might clarify as an email from a disgruntled employee, one might say,” Hegseth informed CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday when requested if he’d help the discharge of the report.
The give attention to Hegseth on Capitol Hill this week has taken a number of the scrutiny off of Trump’s different Cupboard picks. For a lot of of them, Hegseth has served as “heat shield” whereas they take conferences on the Hill, a supply near the transition mentioned.
CNN’s Danya Gainor, Package Maher, Andrew Millman, Manu Raju, Paula Reid, Morgan Rimmer and Haley Talbot contributed to this report.
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