He’s in: Hegseth is Defense Secretary

By
Suzanne Downing
-
142
Pete Hegseth (right), then a Fox and Friends co-host, joins U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. David Walsh, Commander of Marine Corps System Command and native of Brooklyn, New York, for a cake cutting ceremony live during a Fox and Friends morning broadcast in New York City, New York, Nov. 10, 2023. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Theodore Bergan | U.S. Marine Corps

A tie vote in the confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary had to be broken by Vice President JD Vance on Friday night. The 50-50 split in the U.S. Senate was due to Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitch McConnell — all three Republicans — voting against Hegseth, along with the Democrats, while all other Republicans voted for President Donald Trump’s nominee.

The Senate waited for the vice president to arrive and cast the tie-breaking vote. It was Vance’s first tie-breaking vote in the Senate, which has a narrow Republican majority.

As Murkowski and Collins huddled together in the chamber, JD Vance arrived and voted to affirm Hegseth.

Murkowski was the first of the three Republicans to state her objection to Hegseth, saying he was not qualified. But Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a U.S. Marine veteran, found him qualified enough and voted to affirm Hegseth.

Late Friday evening after the vote, Sullivan talked about Hegseth’s goals as Defense secretary:

“After a number of substantive discussions with Pete Hegseth, including during his confirmation hearing, I am confident Mr. Hegseth will work to refocus our military on lethality, warfighting and peace through strength, as well as getting rid of the damaging woke policies of the Biden administration, some of which I witnessed firsthand as a Marine Corps Reserve Officer,” Sullivan said. “These have been my top priorities as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and they will be Mr. Hegseth’s. Mr. Hegseth also assured me that he understands the important role that women play in our military, including in combat, as well as the strategic importance of Alaska. Along with President Trump, he is also committed to continuing the military buildup in our great state. I want to congratulate the incoming Secretary of Defense on his confirmation and look forward to welcoming him up to Alaska soon to see firsthand the critical strategic asset our state is to our national security.”

Alaska GOP chair to a certain Alaska senator: Alaskans have voted for Trump. Confirm his nominees

142 COMMENTS

  3. Congrats, Mr. Secretary! Lisa: shame on you. The entire nation is looking at Alaska — looking at YOU — and asking what is wrong with you! Don’t care who it is, as long is a conservative is running against you, I’m supporting that person 100 percent. Don’t care if they’re not part of your establishment club. You need, you deserve, to be Liz Cheneyed.

  4. This is Terrible news!! We’re NOT SAFE with Hegseth at the helm. Our adversaries are watching us implode as old man Trump is making us vulnerable! Trump is a detriment to our Democracy and our Safety!!

    • Get a grip and stop your tantrum. The sky is Not falling, the world is Not coming to an end, and we are Not all going to die. Life is going on just fine!
      Pres Trump WON, and that’s a Good Thing.

      Promises made, Promises kept!

      • BREAKING: Under Donald Trump’s leadership, egg prices in the United States have hit an all time high. Just like he promised us during his campaign. Well done MAGA, well done!!

        • Egg prices are up due to a supply shortage caused by all the Democrats that have egg all over their faces…

        • You must be a bodybuilder just like cman, since the price of eggs is apparently existential to you Sebastian. Well Rome was not built in one day, but it appears patience is not your virtue, considering the man has been in office less that a week. In other news the wind is blowing, it is raining and the temperature is 37!

        • Take your time answering this question:
          What does that have to do with the Secretary of Defense?
          .
          Don’t rush. We can all wait.

            • The Defense Department of the United States of America will now be run by a weekend Fox News host who wouldn’t be able to hold down a job as manager of the local vape shop.

              • C-Bass,
                You could very well be right, the sad thing is he will mostly likely do a better job than many of his predecessors, he will certainly do better than the previous Secretary.

        • Breaking news; the price of eggs went up BEFORE Trump was even sworn in.

          Please tell me how it was his fault?

    • And you think that we were safe with Lloyd Austin as SecDef? You know, the guy who let the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan occur with 13 Marines getting blown up at the Abby Gate? That kind of NOT SAFE? Stop with the Trump is dangerous to democracy crap. He wasn’t during his first term. He won’t during his second. You want danger to democracy? Look at the last administration that used the DOJ to jail political enemies and censor the press. There’s your danger to democracy. Get off CNN and MSNBC and look around.

      • You forgot the Austin was hospitalized and underwent surgery without telling ANYONE that he would be out of commission and none of his underlings found it important enough to pass on that news.
        That to me is one of the most disqualifying and arrogant moves ever!

    • You were better off with the AWOL.general or the general traitor that just got a pardon why does an innocent man need a pardon.

    • Teri; I got news for you liberals; you cried “the sky is falling” every single day during Trumps first term.

      It didn’t fall then.

      It’s not falling now.

      Grow up.

  5. Lisa Murkowski is a national embarrassment for Alaska. This is how she slimed herself back into the DC swamp.

    Shame of Alaska
    ‘https://donnliston.net/2023/02/shame-of-alaska/

      • If WWIII does breakout, I would prefer a military that is interested in destroying our enemies. Instead of the one that is more interested in spreading woke around the globe.

          • I do not need enemies.
            Enemies happen whether you want them to or not. That is reality. No matter how benevolent a nation is, there will always be another nation that will use military force to try and take over that position.
            .
            Pretending otherwise is delusional. The League of Nations and subsequently the UN were created on that premise. That the planet could be armed conflict free through diplomacy. Turns out the opposite happened, and more conflicts have happened since its inception.

          • Dog, do you get tired of being proven wrong all the time?

            You have to be exhausted by now. If you want some peace of mind and rest: just admit you have been proven wrong and the healing can begin.

    • Yes! Yes! Not only fierce, but also misogynistic, hard-drinking, and profane. Just like in the movies.

      • And, the problem is?
        Last time I checked, that toxic masculinity is what won WWII, it is what pushed the redneck navy to mobilize and save thousands after Katrina, and it is currently saving people’s lives in NC.
        But… let’s all be squishy and care about everyone’s feelz… that works.

        • What won WW2 was thorough preparation, good planning, adequate materiel, adequate numbers of trained soldiers, and excellent leadership provided by FDR, Churchill, and Dwight Eisenhower. Oh, and an atomic bomb won the other theatre.

          Sadly, Trump and Hegseth wouldn’t hold a candle to any of those men.

          I can recommend several authoritative books on the subject to straighten you out, if you’re interested.

          • Exactly what traits did those fine men have that made them “excellent” leaders? How are those traits different than the toxic masculinity you seem to abhor?
            .
            And, while you are at it, what traits did the “…trained soldiers” that voluntarily chose to risk their lives in foreign countries have that differed from the traits of toxic masculinity?

          • Hmm a bit of a one dimensional assessment here WTD. After WWI the US was not interested in joining another war. The Austrians and the Sudetenland waved flowers and hung flags. France built the Maginot line, which Hitler’s troops simply skirted around and overran an otherwise unprepared France. The Brits had the guts to tell Germany to stop invading Poland by declaring war, but nobody else really cared. FDR finally agreed to send the Brits and later the Russians everything from spam to bullets and we had German U-boats on the East Coast, targeting convoys. Japan dragged us into that war. There is credit due to Stalin and the Russian army, who handed Hitler his first defeat at Stalingrad. FDR really liked Stalin and called him “Uncle Joe”. Churchill was much smarter and saw Stalin for what he was, another version of a tyrant. Once the US joined the war there was more manpower and materiel, but in the end it came down to the men fighting in Normandy, Africa, Italy or in the Ardennes forest and their guts and determination to see it through. Pete Hegseth is like those men, Lloyd Austin never was.
            If I had a choice between Joe Biden/Kamala Harris and Lloyd Austin or Trump and Hegseth, if heaven forbid WWIII broke out, I would have more confidence in Trump/Hegseth any day, since neither Kamala, Joe or Lloyd could manage to get us out of Afghanistan with all our troop and equipment intact.
            It always intrigues me how progressives demand lilly-white sin free conservatives, while their crowd can be as dirty as can be as long as they vigorously advance “the cause”.

              • Totally get that CBMTTek, but still can’t just let his version stand unchallenged. Sadly historical knowledge in this country is mostly at a pathetic level, as demonstrated by all the fools, who so cavalierly call everyone they can’t or won’t debate a Nazi or Hitler.

                • Taxpayer; don’t stop calling out Dog’s bull—-

                  Dog; it would be nice if you admitted you are wrong.. even if it’s just one time.

  11. The careerists reptiles in the Pentagon and splendidly uniformed general officers’ corps are deeply threatened by Hegseth. Equally concerned are the large arms manufacturers. All of these folks want the orgy of spending and the killing of the less worthy to continue. Murkowski, Collins and the Turtle represent the status quo. Hegseth isn’t the ideal candidate. He has behaved poorly in the past and his experience at both the tactical, strategic and managerial levels is thin. He is a decorated combat veteran, however. Fortunately, there are lots of people involved. It is time to shake things up from the self-serving and physically embarrassing group we have just had.

    • I hope you are right, JMARK! Your comments are right on. Hegseth is light on people skills especially at the entrenched military bureaucracy level. I am afraid he will go along, just to get along with them.

    • Now this is honest criticism of Hegseth that should be presented.

      I don’t know about his strategic or tactical experience (not all ground soldiers can see past the front line after all) However, he is critical of how the military spends its money. Right now, that should be the main focus.

  12. The first time I hear anyone call him “The Honorable Peter Hegseth”, I’m going to throw up on their shoes. Yeah, I know he served, but pretty much everything else about him is cr*p.

    Don’t let him anywhere near your wives, your daughters, your female soldiers, or your liquor cabinet.

    Should I include granddaughters in the list?? Yep, think so.

    • Oh are you talking about The Honorable Peter Hegseth? Yeah he’s not perfect, but none of the previous Secretary’s of Defense were either, even The Honorable Dick Cheney who is a modern day liberal icon served in the role.

    • You only hate him because he is not ashamed to express masculinity, and does not pander to the mentally ill wokesterism and anti-Americanism treasonous political agenda of the usurper Biden.

      • Inebriation, adultery, and misogyny are not commendable masculine traits anymore, Jeffy, or at least not with most of us. Geez.

        • Yes, you anti-American radical leftist extremists will ALWAYS be able to find some specious talking points to denigrate your political opponents, no matetr how flimsy and laughable. You are intellectually nothing but spoiled children.

    • That’s exactly how many of us feel anytime they say” the honorable Merrick garland” he is anything BUT that!! He’s a despicable lying hack!! And I’d bet that Princess as salivating at the thought of confirming him to please her Democrat masters

        • Dog; he’s got you beat there too.
          You have been proven to be a bold faced liar on every single thread on this website. Yet you cannot admit it once.

          Plus, we know you hate women.

          Hegseth has been proven to protect women.

    • Please do.
      Because, frankly… this tantrum you are throwing is beyond childish. I really, really want you to publicly announce, via vomit, that you are in fact a toddler. Lie on the floor, screaming and red faced.
      .
      Bummer, you did not get the results you want. Vomit on people. Literally or figuratively. Get in their faces and tell them off. Nothing says adult like that.

        • I would likely have no say in it. My daughter and my sister are fully realized adults, and are more than capable of making their own decisions.
          .
          In what world do you live where a man should have a say in what an adult woman’s personal choices. That sounds pretty misogynist to me. Remember that word you used to disparage Peter Hegseth just a little while ago on this very article.
          .
          Tell us all. Is being misogynistic OK? Or is it not OK?
          .
          But you children on the left like to have it both ways, don’t you?

          • Oh settle down. Don’t get so worked up. It’s the weekend. Get away from your silly keyboard and go out and shovel some snow, or something. Hegseth is a creep, and all of your defending him won’t change anything.

            • So, misogyny is OK when it supports your point, but not OK when you do not want it? Because this deflection does nothing to help your argument.

            • Dog; you openly admit you want to control who women date. Can you tell us all how that is not misogyny?

    • Dog The HONORABLE (he actually lives up to that title) is not a misogynist.. Did not beat his wife. is not drunk.
      Please stop lying.

  13. Murkowski needs to be fired. She’s either a globalist, trying to destroy our country or has done things against the law she doesn’t want exposed. Neither of these are good for Americans or Alaskans.
    We need to get RINO’s out now in both the Alaska legislature and in Washington DC.
    I for one am sick of all the criminal activity going on in our government from the bottom to the top. We the people need to help President Trump, and his administration, clean out the swamp which is really a septic system.

  16. The unqualified always find it hard to identify what makes another qualified.
    It’s not her fault. After all, if Frank hadn’t appointed her she’d be salting corn chips and putting them in a bag to sell.

    You can’t expect the 1980 Cherry Blossom Princess, who failed the Alaska Bar Exam 4 times, with no military experience, might think sponsoring legislation creating the Alaska Joint Armed Services Committee gives her a clue of what it takes to be SecDef. I’m sure she thinks a life long Army Officer (like Gen Milley) would be a good choice. Open your eyes Lisa, people like Milley might have served honorably but they’ve spent their whole life in the military and are the problem. Unlike Hegseth, who has the education, service record, and experience in the real world.

    But then again what the hell do I know, I’m just a retired MSgt with 20yrs service.

    • Absolutely right! 20+, too.

      We had an old saying in the military – “If there is a problem with the troops it’s due to a failure in leadership.” The problems with our military reside with its military and civilian leaders – politicians with no military background and generals who are not war-fighters. Unfortunately, like McNamara, Hegseth will likely be stonewalled by an intransigent, united front by admirals and generals in the pentagon who’re looking for a cushy board seat in the defense industry. If he is to succeed, he’ll need staunch backing by Trump.

  17. No surprise. Mitch McConnell funneled $$millions of Republican Senate campaign money to Lisa Murkowski in 2022, and he opposed RCV with more money. Why?
    Because he is best friends with Frank Murkowski and McConnell’s wife Elaine Chao is Chinese from Taiwan. Chao was Labor Secretary under Bush. Chao’s parents were billionaires, having major interests in cargo ships. Frank and Nancy Murkowski were close friends with several Taiwan presidents and treated like royalty when they visited Taiwan.

    • True comment, WilliamM. Nancy and I loved being courted around by Taiwanese officials. Ten course meals, lots of great saki. And when Nancy wasn’t around, more cute little Geisha girls than you can only imagine. But best friends with Mitch McConnell? Please. I actually despise that little turd from Kentucky. Lisa refers to him as Daddy Mitch. And Joe Biden simply as Puff Daddy. Nancy knew neither of these jerks back in the day. So I’m pretty sure Lisa is mine, though I’d rather not admit.

  21. First order of business for Hegseth:
    Send a B1 over to Wrangell and drop a pile of manure on the Murkowski residence. Somewhere the truth be told.

  22. To the loons on here who think you are going to be in danger because of hegseth I want you to realize you just had a president with dementia that had the code for the nuclear arsenal what’s more frightening than that.?? That we were lied to for 4 years about his mental capacity??? Hegseth doesn’t want any dead American kids. The way to avoid war is through power not weakness.

  26. Lisa Murkowski you are a disgrace!
    You don’t know which way is up or down
    Or literally what you are doing!
    You come across as a ASS KISSER!
    You are right up there with BIDEN!
    You know who he is right?

  27. “The vote came down on a party line, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Mitch McConnell (KY), and Lisa Murkowski (AK) defecting.”
    Congratulations to Lisa, she got her name in the news again! Embarrassing Alaska again!

  28. Frank Murkowski’s legacy is, giving Alaska it’s worst senator in the history. We have never had a politician in Washington DC as bad as Lisa and Mary. They are worked against the good of our state.

  29. The best thing was when President Trump was asked about Pete’s successful confirmation. He made ZERO mention of the 3 RINOs (and useful idiot Democrat John Fetterman) and just said the important thing was we were winning. Princess Lisa will be ticked at being ignored. And the Turtle said he voted no because Hegseth was not qualified to run a DOD budget. When is the last time the Turtle balanced the US budget??

  30. I hope Kelly Thishbaka runs against Lisa in 2028. I’ve never seen anyone campaign so hard at the Grassroots level as her 2022 race. She would have been a great Senator.

  32. It sounds like many of you listen and read tooo(not mispelled) much FB++other garbage, where people regurgitate induendos, and lies of what the haters replay.. AND yes, we all are not perfect..Just remember , when you “cock” your hand to point A finger at someone, one finger points out but the other 4 are pointing back at you..I’m getting sick and tired of people regurgitating what the left liberal news and the hatred garbage the left liberal elites. He’s going to clean up the problems that have existed for years in the military and the WOKENESS that has over turned the realities of the military to get the job done regardless of who gets in the way. After 4 years of the last administration’s (pigpen) we have to clean up the Mess they had created.

  33. Looking forward to Tulsi , Kash, and espcially RFK Jr conformations next week – Im sure the same three rhinos will vote against these excellent choices .

    Alaska is a poster child for rcv and the deep state money controlling small state elections , against the majority of voters

    Lets do all we can to retire princess next time around

    • The correct term for the movement (social media fad actually) is #MeToo. (Note the # is called the pound me sign. So that would make the movement “pound me too.”)

  35. Lisa Murkowski stated that she would not confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense because she believed that he was not competent to hold this position. This is from a woman who voted to confirm both Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy and Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security under the Biden Administration. Regarding “competent,” I would like to quote Inigo Montoya famous response to Vizzini in the Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

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