Republicans pushed forward with Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense on Wednesday even after a damaging report emerged claiming that his second wife lived in fear of his “abuse.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he plans to get the full Senate to hold a final confirmation vote on Hegseth before the end of the week.

Conservatives erupted Tuesday on social media following an exchange between Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., regarding gender identity.

Pete Hegseth, military analyst at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. and US secretary of defense nominee for US President-elect Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Kent Nishimura)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, faced some tough questions from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Long speculated as a potential GOP holdout, Sen. John Curtis said Wednesday that he supports Donald Trump's embattled defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth.

Senators vetting Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary received an affidavit from a former sister-in-law alleging his second wife feared for her safety.

Hegseth, 44, is a combat veteran and former Fox News host. The committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) reaffirmed his pressure on President-elect Trump’s Department of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and said he asked tough questions last week because his Republican colleagues needed to hear the answers.

Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth will publicly face senators for the first time Tuesday after weeks of privately pushing back on criticism over his qualifications and personal past. Sen. Eric Schmitt,

Amid Republican claims of “anonymous smears,” a named person — and a Hegseth, at that — accuses the defense secretary nominee of abusive behavior.

Those questions come a day after Danielle Hegseth, Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, said in a sworn affidavit that Pete made his ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, “fear for her safety” while they were married. The affidavit was submitted in response to a request for information sent by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the committee.