Punchbowl News: “The vibes around Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Defense Department have shifted during the last few days.”
“Buoyed by continued support from President-elect Donald Trump, the crisis atmosphere enveloping Hegseth’s nomination has cooled somewhat, although the former Army National Guard officer and Fox News host is still far from a sure thing for confirmation.
”“After the most prominent Senate GOP critic of Hegseth, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), signaled on Monday that she would not oppose his nomination, there’s a growing sense among Senate Republicans that Hegseth has survived a stunningly bad rollout period that threatened to completely derail his confirmation prospects.”