Iowa’s Joni Ernst noncommittal on Trump’s nomination to U.S. Defense Department

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst declined Thursday to commit to supporting Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination to head the U.S. Department of Defense.

When asked during a Fox News interview whether she will support Hegseth’s nomination, Ernst said only that she had a “very frank and productive discussion” with Hegseth on Wednesday and that his vetting will continue.

Republicans will hold a slim, 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate next year, making each of the party’s votes crucial to approving Trump’s nominations to federal agency leadership positions.

“All I’m saying is we had a very frank and productive discussion and I know that we will continue to have conversation in the coming months,” Ernst said during the Fox News interview.

Hegseth is an Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently he was a Fox News host.

Hegseth has in the past said he believes that women should not serve in combat roles in the U.S. military. And in 2017, a California police report included allegations that Hegseth sexually assaulted a woman at a conference. No charges were filed over the incident, and Hegseth and the woman settled out of court.

Ernst, a former officer in the Iowa National Guard, was the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate and is a sexual assault survivor. She also is a member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee and has worked on addressing sexual assault in the military.

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When the Fox News host interviewing Ernst on Thursday said it did not sound like Ernst has “gotten to a yes” on Hegseth’s nomination, and that it sounded like Hegseth’s eventual confirmation hearing will be “critical for his nomination,” Ernst replied, “I think you are right.”

“I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared,” Ernst said. “And that’s why we have a very thorough vetting process. And that’s why I was happy to sit down with Pete and have that conversation with him yesterday.

“So again, all I will say at this time is that we did have a very thorough discussion over a number of those issues, and the vetting will continue, I am certain, through the next month or so until we approach that (confirmation) hearing date.”

A confirmation hearing for Hegseth’s nomination has not yet been set, Ernst said.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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