As Pete Hegseth denies allegations of sexual misconduct in his bid to become the next defense secretary, he continues to make the rounds on Capitol Hill — including meeting Wednesday with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the top Republican member of the Armed Services Committee. she herself is a survivor of sexual assault.
Leaving the meeting, Hegseth told reporters that he and Ernst had had an “engaging and educational conversation.”
“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s service to our country, something we both share,” Ernst he tweeted a few moments after the meeting. “Today, as part of the confirmation process, we had a frank and deep conversation.”
Senator Joni Ernst speaks to reporters as she attends Senate luncheons at the U.S. Capitol on November 19, 2024 in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
ABC News has previously reported that Ernst is on a growing list of candidates to possibly replace Hegseth to lead Trump’s Department of Defense.
When asked Wednesday if there was any chance of replacing Hegseth, he simply replied, “Mr. Hegseth is the candidate.” He was tight-lipped as to whether their meeting had eased any concerns he might have had.
Ernst is the first female combat veteran in the Senate. She also has a long history of supporting legislation to combat sexual assault and harassment in the military, and has spoken out about her experiences with sexual assault, rape and domestic violence.
Notably, Hegseth has said that women should not serve in combat roles in the military, and continues to allege sexual misconduct and inappropriateness.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, speaks to members of the press at the Capitol on December 4, 2024 in Washington, DC.
ABC News
Hegseth has denied the allegation of sexual assault. On Wednesday, he told the Megyn Kelly show “absolutely not” when it comes to rape allegations, and denied many allegations that he abused women.
All eyes will be on Ernst as Hegseth’s confirmation process plays out. Last month, Ernst told ABC News that an FBI background check on Hegseth would be “helpful.”
in an interview Bloomberg News In 2019, Ernst first revealed the details of her rape as a college student at Iowa State University, in which she tearfully recounted being in a “physically and sexually abusive” relationship with someone who raped her.
During her college years, she volunteered at a safe house for abused women and children.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Ernst also alleged that her ex-husband, Gail Ernst, physically abused her during an incident in which he “grabbed her by the throat” before “throwing her to the ground and punching her.” (her) head.” Gail Ernst declined to comment on the allegations.
In this Feb. 9, 2022, file photo, Joni Ernst speaks at a news conference on the bipartisan modernized Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
Ernst also said he was sexually harassed in the military, which he described Time magazine in 2014
“I had comments, passes, things like that,” Ernst said. “These were some of the things where I was able to say stop and it just stopped, but there are other circumstances for both women and men where they don’t stop and they may be afraid to report.”
“Sexual assault has no place in our military, or anywhere else, and it is past time that we take more steps to prevent and reduce these heinous crimes,” Ernst said. statement After introducing a bipartisan bill to prevent military sexual assaults in 2021.
Ernst was a member of Iowa State University’s ROTC program before joining the US at age 20 the army reservation He later served as a company commander in an Iowa National Guard transportation unit in Kuwait.
He spent 23 years in the National Guard and Army Reserve and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
In this Oct. 19, 2014, file photo, Iowa State Senator and Iowa Army National Guard Lt. Col. Joni Ernst, running for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat against Congressman Bruce Braley, speaks with fellow guardsmen before military exercises at Camp Dodge. in Johnston, Iowa.
The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
Ernst has been vocal about his support for Trump, despite himself accused of sexual assault several women — has repeatedly denied it. Ernst was one too candidate to be his competitor in the 2016 election.
“I would encourage women to stand up and say, ‘You know what, I’m not going to put up with his nonsense, but I agree with him on this policy,'” Ernst said in a 2016 interview with the WHO. “Sometimes we have to look beyond certain aspects of a person and figure out what we agree with.”
He also told Bloomberg that it is “offensive to suggest that anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault must be a Hillary Clinton supporter.”
Ernst became the first woman to represent Iowa in both houses of Congress when she was elected to the Senate in 2014.
