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Celerity

(47,235 posts)
Wed Dec 11, 2024, 08:05 PM Dec 11

Susan Collins Sounds Ready to Screw Us All Over Again [View all]

On Tuesday, the Maine Senator had a private meeting with Pete Hesgeth, Trump's pick to run the Defense Department. She declined to officially endorse him, but we've seen this film before...

https://www.jezebel.com/susan-collins-sounds-ready-to-screw-us-all-over-again



In November, Donald Trump nominated Fox News talking head Pete Hegseth to run his Defense Department. And pretty much every other day since, new, disturbing reports about his behavior have come to light — from a 2017 allegation that he raped and potentially drugged a woman at a political convention, to reporting about his alcoholism at his past places of work. Hegseth even had to promise one GOP senator that he’d stop drinking if confirmed. His nomination initially appeared to be in jeopardy amid reports that GOP senators like Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and, of course, Susan Collins, would block him. There were even reports he’d be replaced with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But the tide seems to be turning in Hegseth’s favor again this week.

After expressing that she’s “concerned” by the rape allegation against Hegseth, Collins had a meeting with him on Wednesday. She described the meeting to reporters as a “good, substantive discussion” and detailed the wide range of topics they discussed, from NATO to, ironically, addressing rampant sexual assault in the military. Collins ultimately declined to formally endorse Hegseth’s nomination, and said she’d wait for the Pentagon and FBI to complete their background checks of him before arriving at a decision. Of course, that’s hardly reassuring: In 2018, Collins similarly said she’d make a decision on whether to confirm then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh based on an FBI background check. And the rest, as you know, is history! In other words, we’ve seen this film before. Hegseth, meanwhile, wasted no time kissing ass, insisting to reporters that he intends to “earn” Collins’ vote, and describing his meetings with GOP senators as “an amazingly educational process.”

His meeting with Collins follows his meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Monday, which ended in Ernst, who previously suggested she was on the fence, coming out in support of Hegseth. Ernst is a veteran and sexual assault survivor who’s led the Senate on efforts to address endemic gender-based violence within the U.S. military. Hegseth, you’ll recall, is not only accused of rape but has previously argued that women shouldn’t be allowed in combat roles; he’s since suggested he never said this, even though he did… literally on camera. In college, as the editor of a conservative publication, he also published an op-ed arguing that raping an unconscious person isn’t rape. Nonetheless, Ernst and Collins both touted supposedly productive conversations with Hegseth on violence against women in the military, specifically.

Ernst on Monday called her conversation with Hegseth “encouraging,” and said that he “committed” to appointing officials “who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.” She continued, “As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Through all the deserved turbulence of Hegseth’s nomination, Trump has publicly stood by him, despite the whispers about looking for a replacement. Hegseth is one of several of his male nominees with sexual abuse allegations; Trump, himself, is a legally recognized sexual abuser. As someone similarly plagued by bizarre and disturbing allegations his whole political career, Trump probably finds this man relatable. That, and as Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-IL), a veteran, has pointed out, the main reason Trump picked Hegseth is probably that he objectively looks good on TV. Apparently, a handsome, camera-friendly guy is worth all the trouble in the world to Trump.

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flashback pic:





Mr. President, we’ve heard a lot of charges and counter charges about Judge Kavanaugh. But as those who have known him best have attested, he has been an exemplary public servant, judge, teacher, coach, husband, and father. Despite the turbulent, bitter fight surrounding his nomination, my fervent hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court so that we have far fewer 5-4 decisions and so that public confidence in our Judiciary and our highest court is restored. Mr. President, I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.



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