Tillis just hung himself
Exclusive | Tillis Assured Hegseth’s Former Sister-in-Law Her testimony Could Convince GOP Vote No==
Jan. 27, 2025 6:08 pm
Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N. C.)
WASHINGTON—A key witness in the contentious Senate confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was assured by Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) that her sworn statement would carry weight in last week’s vote and could convince Republican senators to oppose the nominee, according to people familiar with the events.
Tillis personally assured Danielle Hegseth in a call on Jan. 19, witnessed by two other people, that if she signed the statement testifying that she believed her former brother-in-law Pete Hegseth has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his second wife, it would carry weight, and potentially move three votes—his own, along with the votes of Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), those people said.
On Friday, Tillis became the 50th senator to vote “yes” on Hegseth, clinching his confirmation to lead the Pentagon.
In a statement, Tillis didn’t dispute The Wall Street Journal’s reporting about the call. He said Danielle Hegseth’s statement “did carry weight, which is why I communicated my concerns to the White House and spent days doing my due diligence and seeing if there were any firsthand corroborating accounts of the sworn statement.” He continued that he was “not able to speak with anyone who provided firsthand corroboration.”
Tillis said he did extensive research including long conversations with Hegseth and his vote “makes it clear where the facts ultimately led,” and that he looks forward to working with the new Defense secretary.
In her sworn statement, released last Tuesday, Danielle Hegseth said she had decided to come forward publicly, “at significant personal sacrifice” because she was very concerned about Hegseth leading the U.S. military and “because I have been assured that making this public statement will ensure that certain senators who are still on the fence will vote against Hegseth’s confirmation. But for that assurance I would not subject myself or others referred to in this statement to the public scrutiny this statement is likely to cause.”
Republicans, who have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, can only afford to lose three votes on any nominee, assuming all Democrats are opposed.
On Thursday, Collins and Murkowski both publicly announced they would vote no. Collins’s reasoning didn’t cite the sworn statement as a reason for her vote. Instead she listed Hegseth’s lack of managerial experience, his past comments opposing women in combat, and said he didn’t really understand the policies the Pentagon is required to follow, including the Geneva Conventions prohibiting torture. Murkowski pointed to concerns about his character, and allegations of financial mismanagement of veterans organizations he led, as well as his statements on women in combat. She said Hegseth wasn’t “prepared for such immense responsibility.”
The next night, all members of the Democratic caucus voted no. Collins and Murkowski both voted no, as did Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). Tillis then voted “yes” on Hegseth.
Vice President JD Vance, in his role as president of the Senate, broke the 50-50 tie, confirming Hegseth by 51-50.
After voting, Tillis sat on a wooden desk on the Republican side of the chamber, and spoke intently with Collins and Murkowski, who were seated together in front of him, for several minutes. Collins sat with her arms crossed, listening. Murkowski spoke to Tillis, gesturing emphatically with her hands. When Vance, from the dais, formally announced the results of the vote, most Republican senators applauded. But Collins, Murkowski and Tillis didn’t.
Several Republicans had expressed doubts about Hegseth after Trump picked him last year. But the tide turned in his favor after meetings with GOP senators, boosted by a pressure campaign from Trump allies who threatened a primary challenge to Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) unless she got on board. Tillis is up for re-election next year, raising the stakes for him.
During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Hegseth said he wasn’t perfect but dismissed questions about his character and qualifications as an anonymous smear campaign.
In a statement issued immediately after the vote Friday night, Danielle Hegseth said that she was promised a week earlier that her statement, on the record, would corroborate other accusations and make a difference in key votes. She didn’t say who promised her this. “But in the end, it did not,” she said. “What happened today will make women who have experienced abuse and mistreatment even less forthcoming.”
Danielle Hegseth’s sworn statement, made under penalty of perjury, accused Pete Hegseth of alcohol abuse and erratic behavior, and said his ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, …
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He just fucked himself so bad, its not even funny!