Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) predicted Monday that the new Republican-majority Senate would confirm all of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees. Cotton’s statement carries significant weight, as he was recently elected to serve as Senate Republican Conference Chair, the third-highest leadership position in the chamber, Breitbart News reported. His assertive statement indicates that the conference is prepared to move beyond media-driven controversies and focus on implementing Trump’s agenda by appointing his chosen individuals.
“I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” Cotton tweeted Monday morning. The Republican senator from Arkansas recognized that history shows if a president supports his nominee and stands by him—like Trump has done with former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Pentagon—then that nominee will typically receive backing from his party’s senators. “Of the 72 cabinet secretary nominees since the Clinton transition, only 2 nominees have ever received NO votes from the president-elect’s party,” Cotton said in a subsequent tweet. “No one should be surprised that the Republican Senate will confirm President Trump’s nominees.”
Apparently, that also includes Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who initially indicated she might not support Hegseth.
?BREAKING: Senator Joni Ernst announces her SUPPORT For Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
Ernst says she believes Pete Hegseth and not “anonymous sources”
WE WON: pic.twitter.com/j73zDDkdtV
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 9, 2024
Hegseth continued meeting with Republican senators on Monday, while other nominees, including Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, also began their rounds on Capitol Hill, Breitbart added. Trump has outlined an ambitious legislative agenda for the first 100 days of his administration. Congress is expected to address government funding legislation by mid-March and may tackle one or even two reconciliation bills during that time. In the Senate, where routine procedures can often be stalled by complex parliamentary rules, time is a valuable resource. Senators are unlikely to want nomination hearings and votes to linger, potentially delaying Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda. The same is likely true about Trump’s nominees to become federal judges.
Meanwhile, Hegseth’s lawyer issued a warning about the possibility of an extortion lawsuit against his client’s sexual assault accuser if Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense is not confirmed. Attorney Tim Parlatore told CNN that while the woman alleging sexual assault against Hegseth may not have engaged in criminal extortion, she could still be subject to a civil extortion lawsuit if Hegseth chooses to take legal action.
“It was something we were considering at the time,” he told the outlet, referencing when the accuser was planning to file a lawsuit in 2020 before a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) was signed, The Hill reported. “Quite frankly, with the violation of the agreement, if he is not confirmed as secretary of defense, we may still bring a civil extortion claim against her.” Hegseth is accused of sexual assault from an incident in 2017 when he served as the keynote speaker at a Republican conference in Monterey, California.
Police records from that time reveal that the woman involved stated she met Hegseth at an after-party but had limited recollection of the evening, remembering only waking up in a hotel room with him. She alleged that Hegseth confiscated her phone and prevented her from leaving, leading her to believe she was raped and possibly drugged. Despite these allegations, no charges were filed in the case.
Hegseth has denied the allegations, claiming that the encounter was a consensual affair with a woman who later regretted cheating on her husband. Through his lawyer, Hegseth stated that he signed a nondisclosure agreement because the allegations emerged during the height of the #MeToo movement, as reported by The Hill. The attorney further explained that by making her accusations public after Hegseth was nominated to be Secretary of Defense, the woman appeared to have directly violated the agreement. Parlatore told CNN that the woman’s false claim was “put out in violation of a settlement agreement.”
If that “causes him to lose his future employment opportunities, then yes, that is something that is worth bringing a lawsuit against,” the attorney said, adding that the agreement is no longer valid because it has “been breached” by the accuser.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.