Just sworn-in Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla. , may vote to ensure Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense, The Federalist has learned.
“Senator Moody may become supporting Pete Hegseth’s election, ” a Moody spokesperson told The Federalist.
Moody was sworn into the Senate on Tuesday after being appointed to the position by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The former Florida solicitor general assumed the seat following the departure of Sen. Marco Rubio, who resigned his blog to function as secretary of state under the Trump administration.
The Senate overwhelmingly voted to ensure Rubio as head of the State Department on Monday.
Hegseth’s election to guide the Pentagon was advanced in a party-line vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday and then awaits final approval from the whole Senate. According to Fox News ’ Chad Pergram, the lower chamber may possibly vote on the Army veteran’s assurance “late Friday evening or in the morning hours of Saturday night. ”
Hegseth even appeared to get the support of Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was sworn in Tuesday to fill the vacancy left empty by now-Vice President J. D. Vance. During a Wednesday meeting on Newsmax, the Buckeye State’s junior senator emphasized the need for the Senate to obtain President Donald Trump’s government in place.
“We need to provide President Trump his crew. If we want America be to be functional, we need to have a government, ” Husted said. “That means cabinet secretary, and it ’s time to get them confirmed and move on and get this mission implemented. ”
Moody and Husted’s aid is welcome information for Hegseth, who has found himself the goal of a cruel slander plan by commercial media hacktivists seeking to undermine his candidacy.
On Tuesday, NBC News and another left-wing propaganda outlets ran a knife career that included unfounded allegations from Hegseth’s past sister-in-law that the Army veteran engaged in intimidating conduct that left his next ex-wife fearful for her “safety. ” It is only after readers get to the ninth paragraph of the NBC report that they are informed that Hegseth’s ex-wife denies the allegations.
“ I do not believe your information to be accurate, and I have cc’d my lawyer, ” Samantha Hegseth told NBC. “There was no physical abuse in my marriage. ”
The report also noted paragraphs later that “[b]oth Pete Hegseth and Samantha Hegseth signed a 2021 court document that said neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. ”
Several GOP senators have vocally defended Hegseth against the onslaught of dishonest left-wing attacks.
In a Tuesday tweet, Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. , blasted the media’s latest hit piece as a “desperate, last-minute attempt … to smear Pete Hegseth and tank his nomination. ”
“Pete’s ex-wife is on record saying the claims are false, but the media does n’t care because it hurts a Republican. Nobody should fall for this, ” Sheehy wrote.
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind. , issued a similar statement on X, saying that the press’s latest smear campaign is another example of “why nobody trusts the mainstream media. ”
“Pete can’t be confirmed soon enough! ” Banks wrote.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
