'Real trouble': Ex-GOP aide warns Trump key senator could block his plans
A former Republican staffer to two House speakers is warning that Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing this week will be challenging.
Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, Brendan Buck said that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) isn't at "yes" on Hegseth yet. He faces the Armed Services Committee Tuesday for a confirmation hearing after being nominated to head the Department of Defense.
Hegseth, who served in the Army, has been plagued with scandal since his nomination was announced. He's been accused of having a drinking problem by former Fox colleagues and there are allegations of financial mismanagement and sexual harassment. Hegseth also paid off a woman who accused him of sexual assault, though he denies her accusations.
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Ernst, who is a sexual assault survivor, was outright opposed to Hegseth but announced that she was open to hearing his testimony. Ernst achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while serving in the Army, which outranks Hegseth's "Major." Hegseth appeared on a podcast where he said that women like Ernst shouldn't be allowed to serve in combat.
Buck, who worked with Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, said that most hearings don't matter — but this one may.
"There is one key senator on that panel who he has not yet won over, and that's Joni Ernst of Iowa, a veteran herself, a survivor of sexual assault herself," Buck said. "And so she's had some real questions about him. And we saw early on in this process she wasn't ready to get on board with him. She basically said, at some point, I'm happy to allow this process to continue. And now we are at the key moment."
That said, Ernst is up for reelection in 2026, and Trump and Elon Musk, the world's richest man, have threatened anyone unwilling to support Trump with primaries.
He said the issue is whether he can answer basic questions about the direction of American defense. Buck noted that if he rambles about "wokeness" in the military — a complaint he's made several times before — and can't answer key questions, it could be a problem.
He related it to Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat with controversial relationships with Russian leaders who reportedly struggled to answer questions when she visited senators after being nominated as director for national intelligence.
"Gabbard has failed to impress people in meetings with her knowledge of some of the space she's potentially going to be running. If the people who are nominated don't actually know the substance of what they're supposed to be running, I think you could run into real trouble," Buck closed.
See the clip below or at the link here.
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