Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to helm the Department of Defense, has the backing of brand new Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis.
Long speculated as a potential GOP holdout, Curtis said Wednesday that he takes the U.S. Senate’s role seriously in vetting presidential nominees and that he’d “spent significant time reviewing President Trump’s nominees, including his Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth.”
“While there are actions from his past that give me pause,” the new senator said, “I carefully weighed these concerns against his qualifications, leadership style, and commitment to bolstering the world’s most respected military. I am confident Mr. Hegseth shares my vision of ensuring our armed services are prepared to meet the evolving challenges of the 21st century.”
Whether Hegseth will be confirmed by the narrowly divided Senate has been in question since Trump announced the nomination of the U.S. Army veteran and Fox News host to lead the Pentagon in November.
Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault, although he denies the allegations. Over the last two months, many GOP senators have indicated that allegation, along with other issues raised about Hegseth — including his reported alcohol use and mismanagement of funds at a nonprofit serving veterans, according to The New Yorker — will not stop them from voting to confirm him. Among them is the senior member of Utah’s federal delegation, Sen. Mike Lee.
In a post to his personal X account last month, Lee wrote he was, “Looking forward to ‘the people’s Pentagon’ being restored under [Hegseth’s] leadership as Secretary of Defense.”
Until Wednesday evening, Curtis has been more conservative in his comments about Trump’s Cabinet nominees. The freshman senator and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives said he wanted to evaluate each pick for himself and that he expects the president-elect’s more controversial nominees may “resolve themselves.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) John Curtis at his election night party in Provo on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
At the Senate Armed Services Committee’s confirmation hearing of Hegseth on Tuesday, supportive members of Congress and the nominee dismissed allegations of misconduct as “anonymous smears.”
Republican committee member Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa National Gaurd veteran who was also speculated to be a potential holdout, said in a statement after Tuesday’s confirmation hearing that she was endorsing Hegseth.
“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense,” she said.
The full Senate, which includes 53 Republicans, will vote at a yet-to-be-determined time on Hegseth’s nomination. With Ernst and Curtis now solidly in the “yea” camp, Hegseth’s confirmation appears likely.
In his own endorsement of Hegseth, Curtis said, “Our military is (in) need of a change agent who will challenge the status quo, demand transparency and accountability, and ensure our allies and strategic partners have confidence in America’s commitment and capability to stand for freedom,” Curtis said Wednesday.
“My role in the Senate’s process is to ensure the President has a Cabinet that will help him succeed and serve the nation effectively,” he added. “After careful consideration, I have decided to vote in favor of Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be Secretary of Defense.
