Hegseth strength will win over Democratic senators: Sen. Markwayne Mullin – Washington Examiner

Asher NotheisDecember 15, 2024

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Senator Markwayne Mullin‌ (R-OK)‍ expressed ‌confidence in Pete Hegseth, President-elect ⁢Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, stating that Hegseth ‌is prepared for the‍ confirmation vote and capable of effectively‍ handling inquiries from Democratic senators.Hegseth has actively engaged with various lawmakers to ⁣garner support for his nomination, which Mullin believes⁢ may persuade undecided Republicans to back him. Mullin commended Hegseth ⁤for his approach to addressing challenging questions during these discussions,‍ indicating that he is making a strong impression ahead ⁤of the critical vote.

Hegseth strength will win over Democratic senators: Sen. Markwayne Mullin

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) assured that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, will be well equipped ahead of his confirmation vote, adding that Democrats will see someone “who knows how to handle the questions.”

Hegseth has been meeting with multiple lawmakers ahead of 2025 in a bid to win over support for his nomination, a strategy that could convince Republicans on the fence to cast their vote for his confirmation. In discussing Hegseth’s meetings, Mullin praised Trump’s nominee for “killing it” on this front, citing how he does not avoid “the tough questions.”

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“And I hear from senator after senator that meets with him, and says, ‘man, we enjoyed that meeting, he took the questions head on!’” Mullin said on Fox News’s One Nation with Brian Kilmeade. “And so I’m excited about the American people being able to hear him answer these questions when we have a hearing for him January 9 in the Senate Armed Services committee. I believe the Democrats are going to come up swinging, they’re going to try to just throw literally everything at Pete. But what they’re going to see is a guy that knows how to handle the questions because he’s already faced them.”

Mullin added that once Hegseth undergoes his hearing, the public will get to see a combat veteran undertake a series of questions who is able to handle and answer them. He also said that Trump’s nominee will be able to win over both the general public as well as some Democratic voters.

During his appearance, Mullin pushed back against questions that Trump’s campaign is going “too fast” in assembling his Cabinet, questioning if it is even possible to go too fast. He also praised Trump’s nominees meeting with senators and “not allowing the media to dictate the opinion” on their nominations.

Last week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) also expressed enthusiasm for Trump’s Cabinet nominees and their confirmation, arguing that “no one should be surprised” that a Republican-controlled Senate is going to confirm all of Trump’s nominations.

Ahead of the confirmation votes, Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, received the highest approval rating among Trump’s Cabinet nominees with 48% in approval, with Sen. Marco Rubio, the nominee for Secretary of State, and Pam Bondi, the nominee for attorney general, following next. The poll, released by Fox News, sampled 1,015 registered voters with a margin of error of 3%, and was conducted from Dec. 6-9.