A cloud of controversy has hung over Hegseth, but he now appears to be on track to be confirmed as Trump's defense secretary.

The GOP-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee voted 14–13 along party lines to advance Hegseth’s nomination Monday afternoon, an early victory for Trump as he attempts to get his cabinet confirmed as quickly as possible.

Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law said in an affidavit to senators on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon abused his second ex-wife to the point where she once hid in a closet and gave friends a code word to use in a crisis.

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday favorably reported, 14-13, the nomination of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Defense Department, on a party-line vote that will likely spell partisan opposition for Hegseth in the days ahead.