Key Republican senators are lining up to support Kash Patel and keep the door open for Pete Hegseth

CNN
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Leading Republican senators signaled their support Monday for Donald Trump’s plan to oust the current FBI director in favor of fiery loyalist Kash Patel, while keeping the door open for Pete Hegseth, who is facing a series of misconduct allegations, to be the elected candidate Presidents the Pentagon.

Senator Joni Ernst, who sits on the Armed Services Committee and is seen as a key potential swing vote, gave a positive assessment of her meeting with Hegseth on Capitol Hill on Monday.

Ernst said her conversations with the veteran and former Fox News host were “encouraging” and that he was “committed to conducting a full review of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our service members.” – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.”

The statement shows Hegseth has made progress in his bid to win over senators after his nomination appeared in serious jeopardy last week over a 2017 sexual assault allegation, with even Trump allies in Congress raising concerns.

Trump, however, has continued to support Hegseth, posing a challenge to any Republican senator who might run against the election. The selection process for Trump’s Cabinet nominees is still early and confirmation votes won’t take place until next year. But it’s clear that Republican senators are being careful about picking their battles and being cautious about how they approach selecting the president-elect.

Hegseth denies any wrongdoing and vigorously defends himself against the allegations against him, calling them unfounded attacks. He told CNN on Monday that he had a “very good meeting” with Ernst.

Still, when pressed by CNN, Ernst declined to say whether she was convinced by Hegseth’s denial of the allegations. “I refer you to the statement,” she said. Ernst added: “It remains to be seen” whether she will have another meeting with Hegseth.

Ernst also said she spoke with Hegseth about his feelings about keeping women in their current roles in the military. “He’s very supportive of women in the military. “That’s something we discussed,” she said. Hegseth has previously said that women should not take on combat roles.

And so far, Senate Republicans appear to be going along with Trump’s choice to appoint Patel as FBI director.

Putting Patel in charge of the FBI would require ousting Trump-appointed Director Christopher Wray before his term expires, and it would put a self-proclaimed enemy of the so-called “deep state” at the helm of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Monday he was inclined to support Patel as FBI director, while Ernst said Trump’s selection would “provide much-needed transparency at the agency” after meeting with Patel on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a scathing letter Monday to Wray and his top deputy, saying he has “no confidence” in the office’s current leadership.

Grassley later suggested that Patel agreed with him in his criticism of the FBI and its current director.

“He wants to make sure congressional oversight works,” Grassley said of Patel.

Cornyn said he didn’t know what Wray’s plans were, but he expected Patel to be confirmed.

“I expect that Mr. Patel will be confirmed as the next FBI director. “We talked about the importance of restoring the FBI’s reputation as a nonpartisan law enforcement investigative agency,” the Texas Republican said.

Cornyn said after their conversation that he was “certainly inclined to support him – barring any unforeseen circumstances.”

Asked whether he thinks Wray should resign or wait to be fired, Cornyn said: “I’m not going to get involved in that. This is because of President Trump and Director Wray.”

When asked about Patel’s history of controversial comments, Cornyn replied: “I interpret that as an exaggeration and I think he will tell you the same thing.”

Patel has heavily criticized the FBI, calling in a podcast interview in September to dismantle the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and turn it into a “deep state museum.”

Separately, Senator Lindsey Graham indicated that he was open to supporting Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as director of national intelligence, despite their differences on key policy issues, including U.S. support for Ukraine. His comments came after he met with Gabbard on Monday.

“We had political differences … but you know, she’s going to serve Trump. We’ll see how the hearing goes. I like her,” the South Carolina Republican said.

On Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon, Graham said he still had concerns but that Hegseth had been “open and explained my concerns.”

Graham said he is “predisposed to supporting nominees” and “we’ll see where this goes.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Ted Barrett, Morgan Rimmer, Aileen Graef and Ali Main contributed to this report.