President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth will meet on Wednesday with another moderate Republican whose vote will be closely watched in his confirmation battle.
Hegseth will sit down with Sen. Susan Collins as he continues to make the rounds to shore up support amid allegations of sexual impropriety and other misconduct, which he denies.
MORE: Pete Hegseth, Trump’s embattled Pentagon pick, appears to be gaining GOP support
Collins has expressed skepticism about Trump’s selection of Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, telling a local Maine news station last week she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask him. Collins said she had concerns about the allegations, including ones about his treatment of women.
Their meeting will come on the heels of his meeting on Tuesday with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is viewed as another possible GOP swing vote. Murkowski said they had a “good exchange” but did not indicate whether she’d been swayed to support him.
PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with Sen. John Cornyn on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 10, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Hegseth is one of many Trump administration picks who’ve been on Capitol Hill this week.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security, met with various Republican senators on Tuesday.
When departing a meeting with Sen. Rand Paul, Noem was asked if she’d support Trump’s plan for mass deportations of migrants living in the U.S. without legal permission. Deportations were a central promise of Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“I am going to enforce the president’s agenda,” Noem responded.
Noem also left the door open for a deal with Democrats to protect “Dreamers,” or migrants brought illegally to the U.S. as young children. Trump floated the idea during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” despite his attempts to undermine the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program during his first administration.
“You know, I appreciate the president’s word on this issue, and I know he wants our laws to be followed, so I’ll work with him to get his vision accomplished,” Noem said.
PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Homeland Security Secretary South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem arrives for a meeting with Sen. Kevin Cramer on Capitol Hill, Dec. 10, 2024, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director, and Tulsi Gabbard, his choice for director of national intelligence have also been spotted walking the halls of the Hart Senate Office Building.
For Patel to fill the role, current FBI Director Christopher Wray would need to resign or be fired.
Several Republican senators expressed this week they’d be fine with Wray being forced out or stepping aside.
“I like Director Wray but I think it’s time for a fresh start at the FBI,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham.
“Obviously, Director Wray would be fired. That is obvious,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
Pete Hegseth to have another high-stakes meeting with key Republican senator originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
