(NewsNation) —Two of President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees, Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard, are on Capitol Hill this week making their cases to senators about their confirmation.
Gabbard, chosen to be Trump’s director of national intelligence, is facing fresh scrutiny over her 2017 visit to Syria, while Defense Secretary-hopeful Hegseth is trying to overcome concerns over personal and sexual misconduct allegations.
Nominees don’t have much wiggle room in his confirmation process, especially if all Democrats oppose his nomination. Republicans have a 53-47 Senate majority next year, which means nominees for Trump’s administration can only lose three GOP votes if they want to be confirmed without Democratic support.
Hegseth on Capitol Hill
The former Fox News host and veteran was in Washington, D.C. on Monday, where he met for a second time with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Ernst said Hegseth has committed to completing a Pentagon audit and selecting an official who would address the issue of sexual assault within the ranks, Reuters reported.
“As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources,” Ernst said.
Hegseth, meanwhile, told reporters his meeting with Ernst had gone well.
“The more we talk, the more we are reminded that we are two combat veterans and we are dedicated to defend,” Hegseth said.
According to a police report, a woman told law enforcement she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth. The woman said he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave.
Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, said the woman who made the allegations was paid an undisclosed sum in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement.
Parlatore said on “Dan Abrams Live” Monday that Hegseth believes he’s being extorted, and only settled the claim because of “potential public fallout and the cost of litigation.”
Trump has kept his confidence in Hegseth.
Gabbard faces questions about Syria
While she was on Capitol Hill, Gabbard, an Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel, ignored specific questions about a 2017 visit to Syria that has made a lot of headlines recently and her relationship with the country’s now-deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Instead, Gabbard said she stands in full support with Trump on Syria, adding that her views have been shaped by “multiple deployments.” The President-elect said on Truth Social Sunday that Russia abandoning al-Assad led to his downfall and that Moscow never should have protected him in the first place.
“They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine … a war that should never have started and could go on forever,” Trump wrote.
Gabbard echoed Trump’s comments on the Russia-Ukraine War, saying she supports his calls for the U.S. to stay out of fighting in the region and the need for an immediate cease-fire between the two countries.
Some senators remain skeptical about whether Gabbard should be confirmed to lead national intelligence for the incoming Trump administration. In addition, 100 former senior US diplomats and intelligence national security officials urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings on Gabbard and “carefully scrutinize her,” as they were alarmed by her experience level and the meeting with al-Assad, NewsNation partner The Hill reported. Trump’s transition team has called these and other criticisms a partisan attack.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
