Joni Ernst: “I Don’t Have a Campaign Against Pete” Hegseth

Sen. Joni Ernst has not made up her mind about Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be secretary of defense, but despite the suggestion of some of her colleagues, the Iowa Republican told RealClearPolitics during a Thursday interview that she is not pursuing that role for herself.

Joni Ernst disavows rumors of gunning for the SecDef job herself

“I am not seeking to be secretary of defense,” Ernst said after some on the left suggested she would make a better candidate than Hegseth and after critics on the right accused her of trying to sink his nomination for personal gain. A combat veteran herself, she explained that while “I absolutely have interest in the military,” her focus is on continuing her work in the Armed Services committee, not joining President-elect Trump’s cabinet.

Ernst, a senior member of the committee with jurisdiction over the nomination, met with Hegseth Wednesday as allegations about professional and sexual misconduct continue to dim his hopes of confirmation.

“I’ve known Pete for a very long time,” Ernst said of Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, adding, “I really appreciated the time that he took to sit down with me and walk through a number of issues.” The senator described the conversation as “thorough” and the nominee as “very forthcoming.” A sexual assault survivor, she confirmed that the two discussed the misconduct allegations during their 45-minute sit-down.

Hegseth denied all allegations of wrongdoing in a Wednesday interview with Megyn Kelly and vowed to fight on so long as he has Trump’s blessing.

A slim margin

While Republicans control the Senate, the margins are slim. They hold the upper chamber with just a three-seat majority and are expected to have just a one-seat majority on the committee next year that will handle Hegseth’s nomination. This makes Ernst a critical swing vote, and her initial hesitation over the nominee has made her a MAGA pariah.

Complained Donald Trump Jr., the son of the president-elect, in a social media post Thursday, “If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin but criticize Pete Hegseth then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!” Charlie Kirk, a confidant of the Trump family, noted that Ernst had supported Austin, the current secretary of defense, and accused the senator of “leading the charge against Hegseth.”

“No, no,” Ernst said of the accusation that she was working behind the scenes to sink the nominee, “and believe me, I have been feeling this.” The senator insisted that “there is absolutely no campaign against Pete,” adding that her focus remains strictly on ensuring a thorough and fair confirmation process.

The candidates change, she said, but the process ought to remain consistent. “If there had been allegations made against Gen. Austin,” she said of the current defense secretary who was confirmed with broad bipartisan support four years ago, “we would have gone through that process as well. I think anyone that comes in front of our committee deserves a fair hearing.”

“I don’t have a campaign against Pete,” she reiterated.

Respect for the process

“I just want to make sure the process is able to play out and that we’re thoroughly vetting him. I do believe that Pete deserves to have a hearing. All the rumblings out there are absolutely false. My role as a senator is to make sure that we are putting to bed any rumors, any anonymous whatever,” she continued.

“We just need to make sure that he is thoroughly vetted and that he has his opportunity to go in front of the committee, recount his service, and rebut any allegations,” she concluded.

Democrats have already made their own conclusions. They think the nominee is already sunk. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said as much before telling the Washington Examiner that if Trump swapped Ernst for Hegseth, Democrats would begin with “a very favorable inclination” to confirm her. Added Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, “she would have significant bipartisan support.”

Ernst is not entertaining those suggestions, and even as Trump reportedly seeks a potential backup plan should Hegseth withdraw, the senator said she isn’t seeking out an alternative.

Asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose name has been floated as a Plan B, Ernst replied, “I do think he would be a good candidate for this position. But as I’ve told reporters, as they ask me in the hallway, Hegseth is the nominee, and the president will determine who that nominee is.”

Joni Ernst must tread carefully

Trump will assume office in January of next year, and confirmation hearings are not expected until the end of that month. The former, and now future, president believes he has a historic mandate after becoming the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades. John McLaughlin, Trump’s longtime pollster, told RCP that opposition to his nominees incurs inherent risk and a potential primary challenge.

“Republicans are totally behind his agenda and are totally supportive of him putting the right people in place so he can solve the country’s problems,” McLaughlin said in a Thursday interview. “If certain Republican senators side with the Democrats, they do so at their own peril.”

What is the truth?

Ernst insisted that her focus is not on politics and only on discovering “what the truth is.”

“It’s all about making sure that the nominee is properly vetted,” she said of the process that will begin in earnest early next year. Added the senator, “That’s why it’s important that we continue through the hearing, and he’ll have his day in front of the public, and all of this can be sorted out.”

There will be plenty of time, Ernst said, to go back and sort through “all the anonymous this-and-that-and the-other.” She noted that thus far, all the allegations have been made anonymously in the press and that no accuser has come forward publicly. “I mean, people need to really come forward if they have information,” she said. “They need to be willing to put their name to it.”

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.