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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose ballot cemented Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation past month, opened up astir the effort to corroborate last-minute allegations against President Donald Trump's nominee.
"Anytime you person an allegation and idiosyncratic is consenting to enactment it successful sworn testimony, you beryllium it to the process to reappraisal it and not conscionable dispose it retired of hand," the North Carolina Republican told Fox News Digital successful an interview.
"And that's precisely what I did. And past I arrived astatine the decision that I'd enactment Pete's nomination"
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Hegseth was confirmed aft a tie-breaking ballot from Vice President JD Vance, making the last borderline 51-50.
Three Republicans — senators Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted against Hegseth.
Given the Republican conference's 53-seat majority, nominees tin lone spend to suffer 3 votes, assuming each Democrats are opposed and each legislator is successful attendance.
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Tillis' determination connected whether to backmost Hegseth was not disclosed until minutes earlier helium formed his vote. If helium became the 4th Republican to reason Hegseth, the confirmation would person failed.
The legislator asked Hegseth respective further questions aft the caller allegations surfaced and the hours until his confirmation ballot coiled down.
The nominee's effect letter, which proved to beryllium to Tillis' satisfaction, was shared connected X by Hegseth during the vote.
Speaking connected the taxable with Fox News Digital, the legislator explained helium had "developed a estimation for completing owed diligence" and that helium takes his relation seriously.
According to Tillis, helium agreed to talk with Hegseth's erstwhile sister-in-law, Danielle, earlier she filed a sworn affidavit alleging that helium made his ex-wife Samantha fearfulness for her safety, successful summation to claims of intoxicant abuse.
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Danielle is not the sister of Hegseth's ex-wife. She is the erstwhile woman of his brother.
The telephone betwixt the legislator and Danielle was astir "what conceptually would beryllium successful the affidavit," Tillis said.
"And I said, 'If that's true, and it could beryllium corroborated, past it would transportation weight,'" Tillis recalled.
However, helium said the deficiency of corroboration near the allegations without credibility.
"I could ne'er talk straight to a idiosyncratic who could corroborate the grounds of 1 person," helium said.
After Hegseth's confirmation, it was reported that sources said Tillis had "personally assured" Danielle that if she provided the affidavit, it would beryllium important and mightiness transportation Republicans to reason the defence caput nominee, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Asked astir the report, Tillis emphasized that helium gave the caveat that it indispensable beryllium corroborated successful his speech with Danielle.
"Corroboration means astatine slightest 2 radical person to beryllium involved, and they person to beryllium progressive successful the event, not a bystander. And I was incapable to. I attempted to bash it, but I was incapable to get to that point. And, therefore, I had to marque the aforesaid judgement that I did with the different allegations," helium explained.
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Tillis wouldn't divulge whether Danielle oregon her lawyer suggested she had been a witnesser to the alleged events.
"I'm not going to get into those discussions due to the fact that I bash cognize that my speech was leaked a mates of hours aft I had it connected Sunday. Clearly, I would person nary crushed to bash it. But I don't leak backstage conversations. I don't adjacent sermon them astatine immoderate level of detail," helium said.
Multiple requests for remark to Danielle's attorney, Leita Walker, from Fox News Digital went unanswered.
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