“Absolutely, that someone, if they are willing to come forward, might say something that can help us through the decision-making,” Collins said, speaking to reporters following her first meeting with Hegseth on Wednesday.

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Trump’s embattled nominee is facing accusations of sexual assault stemming from a 2017 incident that he said was consensual. He also is facing allegations involving alcohol abuse and accusations that he mismanaged two conservative veterans’ groups.

It’s unclear if the witness would be willing to publicly come forward since she received a payment as part of a confidential settlement or if the committee would subpoena her to testify. 

The confirmation fight could resemble the battle over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination that rocked the Senate in 2018 after the conservative judge was accused by Christine Blasey Ford of sexual assault at a high school party decades earlier. Blasey Ford testified publicly and told senators she was “100%” certain Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her — but ultimately the Senate confirmed him by a vote of 50-48.

It also echoes another explosive sexual harassment allegation that dominated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s nomination process in 1991 when Anita Hill was called to testify over allegations that he sexually harassed her while she worked with him at the Department of Education. Thomas, too, was approved in a 52-48 Senate vote in 1991.

Collins is one of several Republican female senators who have voiced concerns and skepticism about Hegseth’s nomination. She met with him for over an hour and a half Wednesday but remained uncommitted to supporting him. 

.@SenatorCollins after her meeting with Hegseth: “I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check and there is one underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth and I’ll wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision.” pic.twitter.com/JkVCQXHfTN

— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) December 11, 2024

“I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check, and there is one underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth, and I’ll wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision,” Collins said, speaking to reporters after her meeting.

“I asked virtually every question under the sun — I pressed him on both his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him. So, I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover,” she added.

The Maine senator said she asked Hegseth about his comments from a Nov. 7 podcast in which he said women shouldn’t be allowed in combat. She said she wouldn’t go into the back and forth but said she had reason to believe he could change his view on that topic.

Following the meeting, Hegseth appeared upbeat but acknowledged he was unsure whether he had earned Collins’s support.

“I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands. This is a process that we respect and appreciate,” he said to reporters. “We hope through time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor, that we can earn her support.”

“It’s about earning support in this process, in ongoing conversations. And we’re doing this for the warfighters,” he added. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has said he intends to support Hegseth but warned he’s likely to undergo a grueling confirmation process, and senators will be likely to scrutinize the allegations.

“I just told him and his wife, I said, ‘This is going to be a very difficult process on all of you,’” Cornyn said, according to reporting from the Hill.

Cornyn added he’s “been through a lot of Supreme Court nomination fights, including Brett Kavanaugh, and that may pale in comparison to what may be thrown at Pete.”

Senate Republicans will hold a 53 to 47 majority in the next Congress, which means Trump can only afford three defections to get Hegseth confirmed if all 47 of next year’s Democratic caucus oppose him. 

Hegseth’s odds of confirmation appear to be improving as some senators have begun to sound more optimistic and positive following their meetings with him. 

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a female combat veteran, met with Hegseth twice in less than a week. The Iowa senator, who has been a leader in the fight against sexual assault in the military and has spoken out about being sexually assaulted herself, said Hegseth should have a chance to make his case at a public confirmation.

“We’re moving through the process,” she told reporters Tuesday. “He does respect I’m taking the time.”

Ernst and several other senators have signaled that “anonymous sources” may not be enough to tank Hegseth’s chances of being the next defense secretary. The woman who filed the police report against Hegseth claiming sexual assault has not been publicly identified.

“I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources,” Ernst said in a statement on Monday, repeating a similar critique used by men in the GOP.

Betting markets have rebounded in Hegseth’s favor over the last week. On Dec. 4, his Polymarket odds were at 11%, but on Wednesday, they stand at 69% chance of confirmation.