Reporters in the U.S. Capitol said that Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski would not answer questions from the media after her Tuesday meeting with Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense.
Manu Raja, chief congressional correspondent for CNN wrote, “After meeting with Pete Hegseth, Lisa Murkowski avoids cameras and ignores questions.”
POLITICO’S Anthony Adragna gave the same account, that Murkowski “roundly declines all questions from reporters EXCEPT to say she isn’t meeting with Gabbard this week.”
Huffington Post reported Murkowski saying, ““I had a conversation. I appreciated the opportunity for the exchange.”
CBS reported Murkowski saying, “I had a good exchange with Mr. Hegseth and let’s see what the process bears,” as she headed for the members-only elevator.
As for Hegseth, Fox News reported him saying of the conversation, “It was excellent. I appreciate her input a great deal.” But he also did not answer reporters’ questions about whether he has Murkowski’s support.
The Senate is the body in Congress that has the constitutional power to confirm or not deny the president’s nominees. All of President Joe Biden’s nominees passed the Senate in 2021, but several of Trump’s are in peril, including Hegseth, who has been attacked by anonymous sources and unfounded “me too” allegations of the sort lodged against now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation. Trump has nominated unconventional, non-Swamp nominees to run the many departments of his administration, with the hopes of bringing back prudent government to a country that has been besieged by Biden’s bizarre, woke leadership team.
Hegseth is scheduled to meet with another reluctant senator, Susan Collins of Maine, on Wednesday. Both Collins and Murkowski, members who are in the Senate because of ranked-choice voting and in Murkowski’s case non-party primaries, are considered unfriendly to Hegseth as a nominee for Defense, and both are routinely hostile to Donald Trump as a president.
Hegseth met with Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan last week, and Sullivan had praise for the nominee, who is a war veteran.
“I had a productive meeting with SecDef nominee @PeteHegseth today,” Sullivan wrote on X last week. “We focused on the importance of restoring lethality and warfighting as the core mission at the Pentagon as well as the strategic importance of Alaska. I’m confident Pete will work to refocus our military on lethality and peace through strength, as well as getting rid of the damaging woke policies of the Biden admin, some of which I witnessed firsthand as a Marine Corps Reserve Officer.”
Hegseth met with several other senators, including Sen. John Thune and Sen. Joni Ernst, who now appears to be a “yes” vote for Hegseth.
