Sen. Lisa Murkowski Announces She’ll Vote NO on Pete Hegseth for Defense: ‘Significant Concerns That I Cannot Overlook’

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced Thursday that she would vote against confirming Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, citing her concerns about his “lack of judgment” and “the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join.”

Since Trump announced his intention to nominate the former Fox News morning show host to head the Department of Defense, Hegseth has been grappling with a multitude of critical stories: disturbing accusations of sexual assault (including a settlement he paid to one accuser), alleged incidents of alcohol abuse, his multiple reported infidelities, and an email his mother sent him amidst his divorce from second wife Samantha Hegseth in which she called him an “abuser of women.”

Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and his mother walked back the email while staunchly defending her son. Nonetheless, Hegseth’s critics have still raised concerns over the allegations and argued that his résumé is far thinner than past nominees for a job that entails exercising command and control over our all military service branches, overseeing a nearly $900 billion budget, and supervising millions of people.

At his Senate confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth was grilled by multiple Democrats regarding the various allegations against him, his past controversial comments, and his lack of experience.

This week, new bombshells dropped when his former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, came forward in a sworn affidavit accusing him of exhibiting “erratic and aggressive behavior over many years” and being “emotionally abusive” to second wife Samantha Hegseth. In the affidavit, Danielle Hegseth described how Samantha Hegseth “told me that she once hid in her closet from Hegseth because she feared for her personal safety,” and had a plan to text a “safe word” to Danielle Hegseth and another confidante if she needed to get away from her husband. The affidavit also included detailed accusations of Pete Hegseth “abusing alcohol numerous times over the years,”including “drink[ing] to the point of passing out,” passing out in bar bathrooms, and being drunk at a strip club in his military uniform and having to be dragged out.

Murkowski is the first Republican to say she would vote no. She posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The text of Murkowski’s statement:

Since Mr. Hegseth’s nomination last November, I have met with him and carefully reviewed his writings, various reports, and other pertinent materials. I closely followed his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and gathered substantial feedback from organizations, veterans, and Alaskans. After thorough evaluation, I must conclude that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense. I did not make this decision lightly; I take my constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with the utmost seriousness.

I commend Pete Hegseth’s service to our nation, including leading troops in combat and advocating for our veterans. However, these accomplishments do not alleviate my significant concerns regarding his nomination. Managing the Department of Defense requires vast experience and expertise as the department is one of the most complex and powerful organizations in the world, and Mr. Hegseth’s prior roles in his career do not demonstrate to me that he is prepared for such immense responsibility. His leadership of two veteran organizations was marked with accusations of financial mismanagement and problems with the workplace culture he fostered.

Although he has recently revised his statements on women in combat since being nominated, I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join. Women have served our nation with distinction, overcoming immense obstacles to excel in combat and leadership roles, and they deserve to know that their leader honors and values their commitment to our nation.

While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces. These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of servicemembers. Men and women in uniform are held accountable for such actions, and they deserve leaders who uphold these same standards.

Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise. The leader of the Department of Defense must demonstrate and model the standards of behavior and character we expect of all servicemembers, and Mr. Hegseth’s nomination to the role poses significant concerns that I cannot overlook. Given the global security environment we’re operating in, it is critical that we confirm a Secretary of Defense, however, I regret that I am unable to support Mr. Hegseth.

Murkowski’s vote is not enough on its own to block Hegseth’s nomination, but he does not have a lot of leeway due to the GOP’s narrow Senate majority. With Democrats expected to vote against him and 53 Republicans in the Senate, Hegseth has to win the votes of at least 50 of the GOP senators with Vice President JD Vance as a tiebreaker. In other words, if at least three more Republican Senators join Murkowski in the “no” column, the nomination will fail; fewer than that and Hegseth will be confirmed.

This is a breaking news story and has been updated with additional information.

UPDATE 2:45 pm ET: Moments ago, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted no on the cloture vote to move Hegseth’s nomination forward to an official vote for confirmation. Along with Murkowski, that is two “no” votes against Hegseth, but so far it does not appear that other Republicans are joining them. Former GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who had expressed concerns about the mounting allegations against Hegseth, just voted yes on the cloture vote.

The text of Collins’ statement:

After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.

Our military is under tremendous pressure right now. Active conflicts in the Middle East and Europe combined with escalating threats in the Pacific, all against a backdrop of severe financial challenges and four years of ineffective leadership by the Biden Administration, make this an especially critical time for those who lead our military. The next Secretary of Defense will be responsible for managing a massive bureaucracy that includes nearly three million employees and a budget of nearly $850 billion. In addition, our next Secretary faces long-standing procurement and supply issues that continued to worsen under the Biden Administration.

In sum, the Secretary is going to be facing a number of incredibly complex problems that are going to require highly skilled management ability. I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties. His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results.

I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military. He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.

Women comprise nearly 18 percent of our active-duty military. They continue to make critical and valuable contributions to our national defense. I have long advocated that women who wish to serve in and can meet the rigorous standards of combat roles should be able to do so. And numerous women have proved that they can accomplish this difficult feat.

Currently, thousands of women are serving in combat roles and many others serve in non-combat functions. Their service is essential to the success of our military.

Mr. Hegseth also appears to lack a sufficient appreciation for some of the policies that the military is required to follow because they are codified in the laws of the United States of America. While I understand his points on the importance of up-to-date and workable rules of engagement, our prohibitions against torture come from American laws and treaties ratified by the United States, including the Geneva Conventions.

Therefore, I will vote against the nomination.

UPDATE 3:00 pm ET: Hegseth’s nomination moved forward as the cloture vote was 51-49, with Murkowski and Collins the sole Republican votes against. The final confirmation vote is scheduled for Friday.