Republican senators are upbeat about their chances of confirming former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Defense The Hill reported.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is set to become the next head of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, told reporters after a meeting with Hegseth, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Wicker's fellow Republicans on the panel that the nomination is in "pretty good shape" ahead of the confirmation process.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said that Hegseth "can explain all the situations," including a 2017 sexual assault accusation, and is "going to be just fine."
In 2017, a California woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in Monterey where she and Hegseth were both involved in an event for the California Federation of Republican Women. Hegseth told police that he had a sexual encounter with the woman but said that it was consensual.
Hegseth, in remarks to reporters, said of the sexual assault claim, "The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared, and that's where I am going to leave it."
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who is set to become the second-highest ranking Republican in the Senate, told reporters that Hegseth is a "strong nominee" to head the Pentagon.
"Pete pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power — not the current administration's woke political agenda," Barrasso said in a statement. "National security nominations have a history of quick confirmations in the Senate. I look forward to Pete's hearing and a vote on the floor in January."