Former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseeth confirmed as Minister of Defense
Former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseeth was confirmed on Friday evening as Minister of Defense after a narrow vote in the US Senate, a victory for President Donald Trump despite disturbing accusations about Hegseeth’s behavior and questions about his suitability for the job.
The appointment of Hegseeth was only secured in the evening when vice-president JD Vance intervened to break the same position after three Republicans in the Senate had voted against him. Hegseeth is accused of assault and of a history of alcohol abuse. His candidacy seemed doubtful earlier this week when another person emerged with accusations that Hegseeth had abused his former wife.
From 2017 until the end of last year, Hegseeth was a co-presenter of FOX News’ ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ show, when he resigned after Trump had nominated him to supervise the army of the country. He previously served with the National Guard and was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. But from the beginning he has been criticized by many military professionals because he was shockingly unsuitable to lead such a large organization as the Pentagon.
Mitch McConnell (R-Kenskucky) and a former majority leader in the Senate voted against the appointment of Hegseeth, just like Gop senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.
The vote that ended around 10 p.m. was only the second time in the history of the US that a vice-president had to use his decisive power to obtain approval for a cabinet candidate. According to CNN, the first was when vice-president Mike Pence had to intervene to get Betsy Devos confirmed in 2017 as head of the Education Department.
Earlier on Friday, Chuck Schumer, leader of the minority groups in the Senate, hegseth and called him “one of the most erratic, unqualified and unsuitable cabinet candidates that we have ever seen in modern times” and warned that his appointment “credibility of the Republicanian would endanger the majority. CNN reports that.
