We’re at the stage now where these GOP Senators are being asked directly if they support Trump’s more ridiculous nominations and unsurprisingly they’re giving equivocal answers. Complicating the situation is that if any of them ever says publicly what they may say privately they’d get a sharp reprimand and a possible primary opponent. Also compounding the issue for Ernst is that she has been mentioned as a possible replacement should Hegseth’s nomination be pulled. Joni Ernst isn’t just deciding what’s best for the country (Ha!), but herself. Ernst, a member of the Senate panel that will hold hearings on his nomination, said Senators will demand “a very thorough vetting process.” That remains to be seen. A truly thorough vetting process and hearing would air a lot more dirty laundry that would not only embarrass the Republican Party but the country itself.
Source: Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) — Senate Republican Joni Ernst, a combat veteran and rape survivor influential with GOP colleagues on military matters, pointedly declined to support Pete Hegseth’s embattled defense secretary nomination, calling for further investigation of allegations against him.
Her comments, a day after a private meeting with Hegseth, show Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee unable to turn the tide of a rising storm of criticism. More allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and mismanagement of a veterans organization are surfacing. And Trump has begun to examine alternative prospects.
Ernst, a member of the Senate panel that will hold hearings on his nomination, said in an interview with Fox News Thursday that she and other lawmakers “want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared” and will demand “a very thorough vetting process.”
When the interviewer observed that Ernst appeared not to have “gotten to a yes” on the nomination and that Hegseth’s performance at nomination hearings would be critical, she responded, “I think you are right.”
Ernst, 54, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who commanded troops in Iraq, met Hegseth at the Capitol Wednesday as he did the rounds to try to shore up his faltering chances, with Trump said to be considering replacing him with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
