The North Carolina Republican said he did his “due diligence” and deferred to the Senate Armed Services Committee endorsement.

Pete Hegseth has vowed to bring his “warrior” ethos to the Pentagon. Democrats had assailed him as unfit for the job, and his confirmation came down to Vice President JD Vance serving as tiebreaker.

Three GOP senators, including Mitch McConnell, voted against Trump’s embattled nominee, forcing J.D. Vance to break the tie.