Umair
The Senate is set on Thursday to take a test vote on Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be secretary of defense, a critical indicator of whether fresh allegations about his personal conduct that surfaced this week are enough to stop his confirmation.
Republican leaders are plowing ahead with their drive to confirm Mr. Hegseth, as Democrats who have called him unfit to lead the Pentagon work to persuade a handful of G.O.P. senators to join them in opposition. They are pointing to a sworn statement submitted to the Senate on Tuesday by a former sister-in-law of Mr. Hegseth’s who described him as frequently intoxicated and “abusive” toward his second wife.
There has been no public indication that any Republican is having reservations, even though a handful have said privately that the new allegations from Danielle Diettrich Hegseth, the former wife of Mr. Hegseth’s brother, are concerning. Mr. Hegseth has denied her account, as he has several other allegations that have dogged his nomination, including one of sexual assault, and other reports of excessive drinking.
Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, has scheduled a vote on Thursday afternoon to break Democrats’ filibuster and advance Mr. Hegseth’s nomination to a final confirmation vote, which would set the stage for a vote on Friday night.
To win confirmation, he would need the support of all but three Republicans given that Democrats are all but certain to oppose him unanimously.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Hegseth adamantly denied the raft of allegations that had surfaced against him, calling them “anonymous smears.”
Samantha Hegseth, Mr. Hegseth’s second wife, has said publicly that he never physically abused her. But a Trump transition official informed the leaders of the Armed Services Committee last week that she had told the F.B.I. during a background interview that Mr. Hegseth abused and continues to abuse alcohol, according to a person with knowledge of the findings.
In a statement on Thursday, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the panel, confirmed that account, calling it “true and accurate.”
But Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and the chairman of the committee, called the characterization of the F.B.I. briefing “starkly and factually inaccurate.”
Danielle Hegseth’s affidavit describes Mr. Hegseth as demonstrating such “erratic and aggressive behavior” that his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, once hid in a closet from him, and gave close friends a safe word so that she could call for help if she needed it. It also details several episodes in which she said she personally witnessed Mr. Hegseth drink to excess, including once while in uniform and several times to the point of passing out.
Many Republicans have dismissed the allegations.
“Why should I trust her word?” Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said of Danielle Hegseth in a brief interview. “He said no. Seems like there’d be other people out there if he was stumbling down falling drunk all the time.”
Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa and an early skeptic of Mr. Hegseth’s nomination who moved to staunchly back him, was similarly unmoved.
“His ex-wife has denied it. So it really doesn’t go very far,” Ms. Ernst, who came under immense pressure from Mr. Trump’s supporters to support Mr. Hegseth, told reporters at the Capitol. “It carries no weight.”
Senators Todd Young, Republican of Indiana, and John Curtis, Republican of Utah, declined on Wednesday to take questions from reporters about the affidavit.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who has not endorsed Mr. Hegseth, also refused to answer questions about his bid.
