Tim Parlatore predicts Pete Hegseth will be confirmed as Secretary of Defense

Timothy Parlatore, the attorney for Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, on Monday said that he believes his client has enough support in the Senate to get him confirmed early next year.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth, a former Fox News host, for the position last month, but reports of allegations of sexual misconduct and heavy drinking have threatened to derail his confirmation. 

Parlatore said that the nominee has had some positive discussions with Republican senators in recent weeks that have focused on policy, which have helped them feel more confident in confirming Hegseth. The lawyer did not have a specific count for how many Republicans are now on board with Hegseth, but said his team was "feeling very good" about the numbers.

The attorney also said that Hegseth had a good discussion with Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who described the conversation on Monday as "encouraging." 

"I think that once ... you kind of strip away all of the anonymous, you know, fake claims, then that gives him the opportunity to sit down with Senator Ernst and others and start talking about policy," Parlatore said on the "Just The News, No Noise" TV Show. "Let's talk about what we're going to actually do to improve the Pentagon. And I think that that is one place where the two of them really have found common ground."

Parlatore said that some of the policy ideas that Hegseth has would get "politics" out of the Defense Department, and that he is focused on returning the department to military readiness and projecting a strong military to deter enemies from attacking.

"The most effective army is the one that the enemy does not want to face on the battle [field]," Parlatore said.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.