Vice President-elect JD Vance (R-Ohio) reportedly stated on Friday that he and President-elect Trump are supporting Pete Hegseth, the nominee for the position of head of the Department of Defense who is facing a lot of opposition.
He also informed reporters that he was communicating with senators who are dubious of Hegseth in order to persuade them to give him a fair hearing.
“Importantly, Pete Hegseth is going to get his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, not a sham hearing before the American media. We believe that Pete Hegseth is the right guy to lead the Department of Defense, that’s why President Trump nominated him. We’re not abandoning this nomination.” Vance said in a statement to reporters
In North Carolina, Vance traveled to tour regions that had been severely damaged by Hurricane Helene and are still in the process of recuperating from its consequences.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) joined him in the meeting.
Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is considered to be one of the main holdouts who has voiced misgivings about Hegseth’s candidacy, was one of the senators that Vance said he had spoken with.
Vance noted that he had spoken with “a number” of senators.
In the face of escalating claims of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking, and other questionable behavior in his past roles, Hegseth, a former host for Fox News and a veteran of the United States Army, has seen his nomination brought to the verge of being rejected because of the allegations.
The week has been spent by Hegseth meeting with senators from the Republican Party and pledging that he will not back down.
According to reports, as many as eight Republican senators are prepared to vote against Hegseth.
However, the majority of these senators are not willing to publicly call for Hegseth’s withdrawal because they do not want to be condemned by those who support Trump’s MAGA agenda.
[READ MORE: Trump Expresses His Support for Hegseth in Wake of Major Nomination Fight]
