Confirming Pete Hegseth

 Pete Hegseth had a pretty good day Tuesday. Although he had to tolerate Senate Democrats' accusations that he wasn't qualified, Hegseth kept his composure while showing more than enough gravitas to justify his confirmation.

Early in Tuesday's confirmation hearing, Hegseth got great news when Joni Ernst announced that she'll vote to confirm Hegseth.That means the worst Hegseth will do in the Senate Armed Services Comittee is win on a straight party line vote. That all-but-officially confirms Hegseth as the next U.S. Secretary of Defense.

ABC is reporting that "Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Tuesday she is supporting Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as secretary of defense after President-elect Donald Trump's nominee faced a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. In an interview with Iowa radio station WHO, Ernst said, 'Yes, I will be supporting President Trump's pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth.'"

Sen. Ernst was seen as a potential stumbling block to Hegseth's confirmation, especially early in the process. In the end, though, Sen. Ernst joined the team.

Ernst ignored repeated questions from reporters as she left her Capitol Hill office Tuesday evening and deferred to a statement that she issued later, in which she said, “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.”
MarkWayne Mullins hasn't waivered on whether he's voting for Pete Hegseth's confirmation. He's been a rock-solid yes on confirming Mr. Hegseth. When it was his time to question Hegseth, he provided the highlight of the hearirng:

He totally torched Committee Democrats after they'd brought up rumors of Hegseth's infidelity and drinking. Check out this made-for-TV moment:

Ouch. That'll rip the bark off a tree. With Joni Ernst on board and with support like Sen. Mullins', I'm confident that Pete Hegseth will be our next Secretary of Defense. That's where he fits.

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