Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, was “personally assured” by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) that her stinging statement critical of the Defense secretary nominee could carry influence with Republican senators – and doom his nomination, according to a report Monday in the Wall Street Journal.
Tillis, whose “yes” vote made him the 50th senator to officially support President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, told Danielle Hegseth that if she moved forward with her sworn statement, it could potentially sway three votes – that of Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) and his own, the Journal reported.
Tillis made the assurances in a call on Jan. 19, which was witnessed by two other people, the publication noted. Danielle Hegseth went on to submit her testimony, which included her accounts that her former brother-in-law abused alcohol and was abusive to his second wife.
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Tillis confirmed the reporting Monday, saying in a statement to the Journal that Danielle Hegseth’s sworn statement “did carry weight, which is why I communicated my concerns to the White House and spent days doing my due diligence and seeing if there were any firsthand corroborating accounts of the sworn statement.” He added that he was “not able to speak with anyone who provided firsthand corroboration.”
Tillis told the Journal that he conducted extensive research which included lengthy conversations with Pete Hegseth, and his vote “makes it clear where the facts ultimately led.”
Before he toed the party line and voted in favor of Trump’s nominee, the North Carolina senator had been viewed as a possible roadblock to the nomination. But Pete Hegseth was eventually confirmed as Defense secretary when Vice President J.D. Vance exercised his role as president of the Senate and broke the 50-50 tie, which moved his vote to 51-50.
