McConnell voted no on Hegseth as Pentagon chief, forcing Vance to issue a tiebreaker.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was one of three Republicans who voted Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary in the new Trump administration.

The other Republican “no” votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to break a 50-50 tie to confirm President Donald Trump’s election. to lead the Pentagon.

“The most important Cabinet official in any administration is the Secretary of Defense,” McConnell wrote, explaining his opposition to Hegseth. “In the face of the most serious threats to America’s national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today.”

“Major adversaries are working more closely to undermine American interests around the world,” he said. “And America’s military capabilities and defense industrial capacity are increasingly insufficient to deter or prevail in a major conflict with China or Russia, especially given the real risk of simultaneous challenges from other adversaries such as Iran or North Korea.” .

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CAST TIE-BREAKING VOTE

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., answers a question from a reporter during a press conference following the Senate’s weekly Republican policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 19, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had faced questions before his confirmation about his infidelity, allegations of sexual assault and excessive alcohol consumption, his past comments opposing women serving in combat roles in the military and his leadership skills.

Married three times, Hegseth admitted he was a “serial cheater” before converting to Christianity and marrying his current wife, Jenny. She also originally said she opposed women in combat, before later saying she only opposes standards for women in combat that are different from those of men. Hegseth also denied allegations of sexual assault and said he would abstain from alcohol as defense secretary.

McConnell said that “dust on boots” in reference to Hegseth’s military service “does not even distinguish this candidate from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job.”

“Effectively managing nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests,” said the senator. . “Mr. Hegseth has not yet demonstrated that he will pass this test. But when he takes office, the consequences of failure are more serious than ever.”

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WILL NOT SUPPORT TRUMP’S PICK OF HEGSETH FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Forces confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

McConnell emphasized that Hegseth, in his testimony before the Armed Services Committee, “failed to take into account this reality” that the United States “faces coordinated aggression from adversaries bent on disrupting the order that underpins American security and prosperity.”

“President Trump has rightly called on NATO allies to spend more on our collective defense. But the candidate who would have been responsible for leading that effort would not even commit to increasing US defense spending beyond from the low level set by the Biden Administration’s budget requests,” McConnell said.

The senator also said Hegseth’s testimony lacked “substantial observations on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack, or even whether he believes the United States should do so.” McConnell said Hegseth failed to “articulate in detail a strategic vision to address the most serious long-term threat emanating” from China.

Pete Hegseth at the conclusion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, January 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

McConnell further noted a lack of “substantive discussion” to “counter our adversaries’ alignment with deeper alliance relationships and broader defense industrial cooperation of our own.”

“This, of course, must change,” McConnell said. “As the 29th Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth will be immediately tested by the ongoing conflicts caused by Russian aggression in Europe and Iranian-backed terrorism in the Middle East. He will have to deal with an appropriations process unfinished business for FY25 that – without their intervention – risks further damaging the readiness of our forces.”

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“From all indications, brave young men and women join the military understanding that it is a meritocracy,” he added. “This precious trust endures only as long as lawful civilian leadership maintains what must be a firewall between service members and politics. The Biden administration failed in this fundamental task. But the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from the exchange of one set of cultural warriors for another.”