Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill as Republican senators weigh controversial nominations – live

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Key GOP senator signals willingness to support Hegseth to lead Pentagon

Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who Donald Trump nominated to lead the defense department, has faced allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement.

While several Republican senators have nonetheless signaled support for him, his nomination’s fate is seen as resting with Joni Ernst, an Iowa senator who is an army veteran and survivor of sexual assault. The Republican initially signaled hesitation towards giving Hegseth her vote, but after meeting with him again on Monday, issued a statement that was more supportive. Here’s what Ernst said:

I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.

Hegseth, meanwhile, has said he has no intention of pulling himself out of contention to lead the Pentagon, and both Trump and JD Vance have spoke up in support of his candidacy. Here’s more:

Gabbard, Hegseth head to the Capitol as Republican senators weigh controversial nominations

Good morning, US politics blog readers. It’s another big day for Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees on Capitol Hill, including two whose appointments have raised a substantial number of eyebrows. Senators are expected to meet with Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence whose positive comments about Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are sure to be scrutinized, and Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary nominee who has been dogged by reports of excessive drinking and poor treatment of women, along with a sexual assault allegation. Also heading to the Hill are less-contentious picks like Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent, commerce secretary choice Howard Lutnick and John Ratcliffe, Trump’s pick to lead the CIA.

Trump’s cabinet confirmations got off to a rocky start when he selected congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general, only for the nomination to go down in flames amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Hegseth has faced similar headwinds, but Trump and his allies have fought back, including with a pressure campaign against senators that appear skeptical of putting him in charge of the Pentagon. We’ll see what lawmakers have to say about their meetings today.

Here’s what else is going on:

• Trump announced more nominations for ambassadorial and agency posts like night. Among those selected was Kimberly Guilfoyle, who had been engaged to his son Donald Trump Jr, as ambassador to Greece.

• Joe and Jill Biden will convene the first-ever White House Conference on Women’s Health Research at 11.30am.

• A federal judge blocked the Onion from buying conspiracy theory site InfoWars in the bankruptcy sale of its owner Alex Jones.