Pete Hegseth was confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense on Friday night in a dramatic 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the deciding vote to break the tie.
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We knew that Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) were going to vote against Hegseth’s confirmation, leaving his fate in the hands of Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Rumors before the vote suggested Tillis was going to vote against Hegseth, but in the end, it was McConnell who joined Murkowski and Collins in voting against him.
“The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense. In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today,” McConnell said in a statement Friday evening.
“Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes. And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job,” McConnell continued. “Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests.”
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“Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test,” McConnell insisted. “But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been.”
Related: What McConnell Did After Voting Against Hegseth Is Unforgivable
McConnell previously voted to confirm Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who was a total disaster, as well as Merrick Garland for Attorney General, and Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary. Ironically, he seemed to acknowledge that the Biden administration was full of underwhelming “leaders.”
“By all accounts, brave young men and women join the military with the understanding that it is a meritocracy,” McConnell’s statement continued. “This precious trust endures only as long as lawful civilian leadership upholds what must be a firewall between servicemembers and politics. The Biden Administration failed at this fundamental task. But the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture warriors for another.”
Trump reacted to McConnell’s betrayal Friday night.
“Are you disappointed that McConnell voted no?” a reporter asked Trump before leaving Los Angeles.
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“I didn’t even know that. I just heard that we won. Winning is what matters, right?” Trump responded.
🚨 President Trump just reacted to Mitch McConnell voting NO on Pete Hegseth
“I didn’t even know that. I just heard that we won. Winning is what matters right?”
Nobody cares what McConnell has to say! pic.twitter.com/NK4LeJA72s
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 25, 2025
It was a surprisingly tame response from Trump. I’ve checked his social media accounts, figuring he probably saved a more ruthless response to McConnell’s betrayal on Truth Social or X. Nope.
I guess we’ll have to see if he’s going to let it go, or if McConnell will soon be subjected to one of Trump’s trademark attacks.
