Let Ernst do her job

Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst became the target of threats and invective from loyalist supporters of President-elect, just for doing her job and defending her principles.

Ernst, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate, and a survivor of sexual assault, not surpassingly had misgivings about Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth to become secretary of defense.

Hegseth said previously he does not support allowing women in combat. And he’s been accused of sexual assault and misconduct, as well as excessive drinking. He’s a Fox News host with very little managerial experience who may be placed in charge of overseeing the nation’s armed forces.

Ernst, who is considered a make-or-break in Hegseth’s confirmation, said she wanted to allow the process to unfold before deciding how to vote. It would be natural for Ernst to be concerned her extensive, bipartisan work to address sexual assault in the military ranks might not be embraced by Hegseth.

But Trump’s most extreme supporters decided to make support for Hegseth a loyalty test. Ernst was assailed on social media, with MAGA media celebrities calling for the senator to be challenged in a Republican primary in 2026. Ads ran here urging Iowans to call on Ernst to back Hegseth.

In the end, the intimidation strategy did its job. Ernst met with Hegseth again and said she received assurances sexual assault would continue to be an important issue. Ernst said,” As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

And with that, Ernst declared that the stories of any victims of Hegseth’s conduct who won’t come forward is deemed false. With that, the onslaught against Ernst faded.

We elected Ernst to do her job representing the interests of Iowans. And it’s a job she tried to do with regard to Hegseth’s nomination. Follow the process. Evaluate the nominee. And vote based on what’s best for Iowa and the nation.

But Trump’s army of loyalists would not give Ernst room to do her job. They cared nothing about Iowa or the nation. They knew a defeat for Hegseth would embarrass Trump, and they meant to stop it by any means necessary.

All we can do is urge our elected leaders to stand strong even when all Hell breaks loose. But after watching what happened to Ernst, we’re not optimistic.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com