The Iowa senator supports Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, despite allegations of assault and drinking — but she doesn’t want to talk about it.

Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst confirmed her support for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense late

On Monday, the night before hearings to confirm Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for Secretary of Defense, were set to begin, The New Yorker reported that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) — a key vote on the Armed Services Committee — had declined an offer to meet privately with the woman whom Hegseth paid to settle a sexual assault claim.

Iowa's Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, ending weeks of speculation about whether she would stand in opposition to President-elect Donald Trump.

Sen. Joni Ernst revealed she is officially supporting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense after Tuesday's hearing.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) used her time at Pete Hegseth's Senate confirmation hearing to ask about Pentagon spending and Hegseth's views on women in the military.

The Iowa Republican’s decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s defense secretary.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst announced that she would vote for Pete Hegseth to become Defense Secretary, making his path to Senate confirmation much easier.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who had been seen as a key Republican skeptic of Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Defense Department, said she will support him after his performance at Tuesday's confirmation hearing.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Defense, faced tough questions from Democratic senators about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst,