There is no shortage of sex scandals in America’s politics.
But Donald Trump just found himself caught up in another controversy.
Because this one nasty sex scandal just threw a wrench into Donald Trump’s cabinet plans.
Senator Joni Ernst (RINO-IA) attempts to derail Pete Hegseth cabinet confirmation
Iowa RINO Senator Joni Ernst voted to confirm President Joe Biden’s radical woke Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
She had no issue rubber stamping the DEI programs Biden forced on the military, and the entire federal government, when she decided to vote in favor of his funding bills.
Ernst did not hesitate to provide a commitment of loyalty to blindly voting in favor of every single funding project presented for President Biden’s war in Ukraine.
One of the very first nominations announced by Donald Trump was his naming of Pete Hegseth for the Department of Defense, which proved the President-elect wanted to dismiss the woke generals put in place by Biden and Austin, while pushing to end the war in Ukraine.
Voters in Joni Ernst’s state of Iowa moved solidly behind Donald Trump on Election Day by 13 points this year, thanks to his anti-woke agenda.
But that isn’t stopping Ernst from emerging as a top opponent to his nomination of Pete Hegseth.
Following ‘anonymous’ sourced reports published by NBC and The New Yorker that dragged Hegseth through the mud, accusing him of being a relentless drunk, Ernst joined RINOs in seizing the opportunity to promote the allegations.
Ernst also did not shy away from amplifying a massively false allegation – which was investigated by police and discovered to be bogus – against Hegseth claiming he sexually assaulting a woman following a California GOP event.
Between the incoming Trump administration’s pledge to fight woke DEI and warmongering policies supported by RINOs, Hegseth’s nomination is now on the line.
He can only afford four Republican Senators to vote against his nomination, so Hegseth made sure to spend time meeting with the Iowa Senator.
A day later, Ersnt took to Fox News where she discussed how the meeting went, and what she had to say was beyond disappointing.
She explained to Fox News hosts Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum that she was not convinced to lock in her support for Hegseth.
“I think for a number of our Senators they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting,” argued Ernst.
She also noted that the two had “Talked about a number of those issues and we will continue the vetting process.”
But Ernst’s issues with the nomination of Hegseth appeared to have deeper roots.
Ernst wants the job for herself
According to the Federalist’s Sean Davis, Ernst is holding out over her vote and it has to do with her wanting the head Defense Department role for herself.
“If you had a ‘frank and thorough conversation,’ why did you not disclose to Hegseth your repeated calls to Trump prior to the meeting urging him to dump Hegseth?,” began Davis in his post on X. “Did you similarly fail to tell him how you dispatched Lindsey Graham to last weekend to tell Trump to dump Hegseth and nominate you instead?”
If you had a “frank and thorough conversation,” why did you not disclose to Hegseth your repeated calls to Trump prior to the meeting urging him to dump Hegseth?
Did you similarly fail to tell him how you dispatched Lindsey Graham to last weekend to tell Trump to dump Hegseth… https://t.co/QcWozOrZda
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 5, 2024
The Federalist also published a report regarding the credible, on the record allegation against Ernst over potential sexual misconduct.
Documents in Ernst’s divorce proceedings, filed by her husband, claim she allegedly had a sexual affair with another soldier during her time in the military, which has the potential of becoming a criminal offense.
“In the court documents, Ernst’s ex-husband, Gail Ernst, accused her of having an affair with one of her soldiers while she was deployed as a company commander,” read the Military Times report. “She said Wednesday that she cares ‘about all of my soldiers’ that the allegation was not true.”
Ernst’s decision to wage battle over the Hegseth nomination is exactly what the Swamp wants, and she is hoping that the reward will be her being substituted in place of Trump’s current selection.
But that seems less and less likely each day, as most political experts and published reports are indicating that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the likely second choice should Hegseth require being replaced.