Bernie Moreno pledges to support Pete Hegseth, other Trump cabinet picks in Senate
(This story has been updated to reflect the most current information.)
Ohio Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno pledged Tuesday to support President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks, including a Fox News host who was accused of sexual assault.
Moreno defeated Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the Nov. 5 election. He'll take the oath of office in January along with Vice President-elect JD Vance's replacement, who Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint in the coming weeks.
"The American people delivered President Trump a mandate, and it is crucial that Senate Republicans confirm his nominees quickly," Moreno said Tuesday. "Our Republican majority must unite and deliver a strong cabinet so we can begin implementing the America-First agenda as soon as possible."
More on Bernie Moreno: Bernie Moreno gives victory speech after networks report Ohio Senate win
Moreno's statement came as Senate Republicans wrestled with Trump's more controversial cabinet nominees, particularly former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for attorney general. Gaetz said Thursday that he's withdrawing from consideration for the job.
The Department of Justice under President Joe Biden investigated allegations that Gaetz sex trafficked a 17-year-old girl but never charged him with a crime.
The House Ethics Committee also investigated Gaetz, who resigned from Congress just days before the committee planned to decide whether to release its findings. Two women testified that Gaetz paid them for sex, and one said she saw him having sex with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied the allegations.
Moreno advocated for Gaetz's confirmation and threw his support behind Trump's other cabinet picks, including Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran who previously co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend, paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017. He denied the allegation and agreed to a settlement because he worried about losing his job, according to his attorney.
"Pete Hegseth is a decorated war hero who dedicated 20 years of his life to protecting our nation," Moreno said. "Pete is exactly the type of leader who is needed at the Pentagon to shrink bureaucracy, eliminate woke ideology from our military and put an end to endless wars."
In his first interview after the election, Brown cited Trump's nominees as he outlined how Democrats should approach the president-elect's second term.
"Democrats need to work with Republicans when some of these nominees are so out of the mainstream," Brown told Politico last week. "I also think Democrats have to make sure voters know that this administration is all about helping the rich and all about hurting workers."
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Haley BeMiller covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bernie Moreno backs Pete Hegseth, other Trump cabinet picks
