Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell broke with his Republican colleagues by voting against U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination on Friday, causing some of President Donald Trump‘s critics to raise their eyebrows.
Newsweek has reached out to McConnell’s office, the White House and the DOD via email for comment on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Despite Trump and McConnell, who previously led the Senate GOP for nearly two decades, being critical of each other, the Kentucky senator has made moves that benefited Trump and even kept him in office following the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, by voting to acquit him of inciting an insurrection, along with 43 other Republicans, during his impeachment trial.
What To Know
On Friday night, Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Hegseth’s nomination. The GOP currently holds a slim majority in the Senate and with two Republicans already opposed to his nomination, Hegseth could only afford to lose one more vote to clinch his role as Pentagon chief.
Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine had already announced they would vote “no” on Hegseth before the vote. McConnell also voted no, forcing Vance to travel to the U.S. Capitol to break the tie.
Trump, for his part, anticipated that the former Republican leader would break ranks, telling reporters earlier Friday, “Of course Mitch is always a no vote, I guess.”
McConnell explained his no vote in a statement issued Friday, “Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests. Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test. But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been.”
What People Are Saying
Political commentator Joanne Carducci via on X, formerly Twitter, wrote on Friday: “When Mitch f***ing McConnell can do the right thing and the rest of his so-called party can’t… you know it’s a goddamn cult.”
Political commentator Wajahat Ali via X on Friday wrote: “McConnell spent his life creating this crisis that will now destroy America. Only at the end does he find a conscience.”
Tara Setmayer, co-founder and CEO of the bipartisan superPAC, The Seneca Project, via X on Friday wrote: “I have a hard time giving McConnell any credit here since his NO vote is inconsequential for Hegseth. He’s going to he confirmed anyway. I’ll give him credit when his vote actually makes a difference.”
Political commentator Michael A. Cohen via X on Friday wrote: “When Mitch McConnell is the voice of wisdom in the Republican Party … we are truly screwed as a country.”
Political analyst Marco Frieri via X on Friday wrote: Mitch McConnell finds his conscious [sic] after 82 years and votes no on Hegseth.”
What Happens Next
Hegseth will have a lot to prove to the senators who voted against him and Americans who disagreed with his nomination as he navigates conflicts around the world, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, conflict in the Middle East, and U.S. tensions with China and North Korea.
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