WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is not saying whether she will support the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, after meeting with him Wednesday.
According to Collins, the closed-door discussion with Hegseth—who needs a majority of senators to back his nomination to earn a place in the Cabinet—lasted nearly an hour and a half and touched on a variety of topics.
“I always do a dig deep dive into the nominee's background,” Collins told NEWS CENTER Maine Wednesday.
One area of particular focus: Hegseth's personal conduct. The 44-year-old Army veteran and former Fox News host has faced allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel room in 2017. Prosecutors in California, where the alleged assault took place, declined to file charges. Hegseth denies the allegation. Several of his former colleagues at Fox News have also come forward accusing him of problematic drinking. Hegseth denies these claims as well.
Collins said his conduct came up Wednesday.
“I did press him on some of the personal allegations against him,” Collins said. “I’m really relying on the FBI background check to get further into those allegations.”
Collins said she also spoke to Hegseth about issues of national defense, including handling recruitment challenges and U.S. policy in Ukraine.
Hegseth also appeared to ease concerns the senator had about his negative views of NATO.
“I knew he’d written a book in 2020 in which he had made some concerning comments about NATO’s role, calling NATO a relic,” Collins said Wednesday. “He gave a far better answer to me today than what he said in his book. Maybe that’s to be expected.”
While Collins praised Hegseth's leadership qualities, adding, "I'm not surprised that a group of service members who were under his leadership have written to endorse his nomination," she pointed out shortcomings in Hegseth’s professional experience.
“I do think an issue is he’s never managed anything as big and as complicated as the Department of Defense," she said.
The meeting Wednesday between Maine’s senior senator and Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense comes as Hegseth tries to consolidate support from other Republicans in the Senate. He will most likely need the support of all but three of them to be confirmed in the chamber.
After meeting with Collins, Hegseth said they had "a good exchange."
"I'm not going to assume anything about where the senator stands," he told reporters.
Collins, for her part, is intent on waiting for the process to play out before deciding on her vote in the matter.
“This was a useful, essential, and good interview, but it did not predispose me one way or the other," she explained. "I need the other parts of the process before making a decision.”