Thom Tillis, a senator from North Carolina, informed Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law that a sworn declaration regarding his purported alcohol dependency and the mistreatment of his second spouse could sway senators—himself included—to vote against Hegseth’s appointment as secretary of defense, stating that such a declaration would “hold significance.”
Danielle Hegseth did provide such a declaration, and three Republican senators—Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Susan Collins from Maine, and Mitch McConnell from Kentucky—cast their votes in opposition to Donald Trump’s nomination to head the Defense Department. Ultimately, Tillis supported Hegseth, who was confirmed late Friday after Vice President J.D. Vance cast the deciding vote in a 50-50 deadlock.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Tillis shared his message with Danielle Hegseth during a phone call on January 19, which was witnessed by two others. In a statement to the news outlet, Tillis, who is preparing for reelection next fall, mentioned that Hegseth’s declaration “did indeed hold significance, which is why I communicated my concerns to the White House and dedicated several days to verifying whether there were any firsthand supporting accounts of the sworn statement.”
He further stated that he was “unable to converse with anyone who could provide firsthand verification.”
Pete Hegseth’s second spouse, Samantha, is barred from making negative comments about her ex-husband due to a provision in their 2018 divorce settlement, MSNBC reported just prior to his confirmation vote.
Samantha Hegseth has refuted any claims of physical abuse taking place during their marriage, yet she did not contest claims made by Danielle Hegseth that she had concerns for her safety and used a safe word to alert others when feeling threatened.
In her sworn declaration from the previous week, Danielle Hegseth explained that she went public due to her apprehensions regarding Hegseth’s suitability for the position, stating, “because I have received assurances that making this public declaration will ensure that specific senators who are undecided will oppose Hegseth’s confirmation.”
“Without that assurance,” she added, “I would not be willing to expose myself or others mentioned in this statement to the public scrutiny that may arise from it.”
