Originally Authored at TheFederalist.com
President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for Pete Hegseth’s nomination to become the next secretary of defense on Friday, putting any GOP senator seeking to tank the Army veteran’s confirmation on notice.
“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He was a great student -Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense … one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Within the past few days, Hegseth has come under a barrage of unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing during his time working at Fox News and spearheading veteran-related nonprofit organizations. Numerous former colleagues and associates have come out strongly disputing the accusations from anonymous individuals.
Dozens of military veterans have signed onto a letter backing Hegseth’s nomination in light of the media’s smear campaign, according to Fox News.
A woman also previously accused Hegseth of sexual assault following a purported 2017 sexual encounter between the two. Prosecutors declined to press charges due to a lack of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to reports.
Hegseth reaffirmed his commitment to becoming Trump’s defense secretary while speaking with reporters on Thursday. The Army veteran noted that he’s had “great conversations” with senators thus far and hit back against the media smear machine aiming to sink his nomination.
“I’m proud of what I’ve fought for. I’m not going to back down from them one bit,” Hegseth said.” This will not be a process tried in media. I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you. … I answer to President Trump …, I answer to the 100 senators who are part of this process and those in the committee, and I answer to my Lord and Savior … .”
“[A]s long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m gonna be standing right here in this fight — fighting to bring our Pentagon back to what it needs to be,” he added.
Trump’s Truth Social post comes amid a behind-the-scenes campaign by several Republican senators reportedly seeking to defeat the former Fox News host’s Pentagon nomination.
Multiple Trump world sources with direct knowledge of the matter told The Federalist on Wednesday that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has been leading an “aggressive” personal jihad against Hegseth. As The Federalist reported, Ernst’s efforts have “included personal calls to Trump to urge him to dump Hegseth ahead of her meeting with the Army veteran on Wednesday afternoon.”
“She’s waging a campaign to replace Pete with herself,” a Trump source familiar with her phone calls with Trump said.
[READ: Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Endorsed Transgender Military Service]
One Trump world source also told The Federalist that Ernst has enlisted Sen. Lindsey Graham in her efforts, including dispatching the South Carolina Republican “over the weekend to nag Trump to ditch Hegseth and replace him by nominating Ernst.”
When asked on Wednesday about the allegations that she’s seeking to defeat Hegseth’s nomination and become defense secretary herself, a representative for the Iowa Republican told The Federalist, “Just more Washington whispers. Senator Ernst met with Pete Hegseth today as part of the confirmation process.”
Ernst offered a more forceful denial Thursday amid conservative backlash to her reported actions. In an interview with RealClearPolitics, the GOP senator claimed, “there is absolutely no campaign against Pete” and that she’s “not seeking to be secretary of defense.”
In a Breitbart News op-ed published Friday, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird encouraged senators to fulfill the wishes of Americans who voted for Trump and confirm his cabinet appointees. While she didn’t call out Ernst by name, the Hawkeye State’s chief law enforcement officer noted how “it’s become clear that D.C. politicians think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years.”
“When voters select a president, they are selecting that president’s vision for a cabinet that will enact his agenda. On November 5, America voted for change, and for Washington to work for America – not the other way around,” Bird wrote. “What we’re witnessing in Washington right now is a Deep State attempt to undermine the will of the people. We must not let Washington kill nominations before the Constitutional confirmation process even begins.”
As of this article’s publication, Ernst has not publicly committed to supporting Hegseth’s confirmation.
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, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood