and so the allegation from danielle hegseth yesterday reporting her observations of mr. hegseth's behavior, and in particular, abuse of her sister-in-law, have to be given some credence by this committee. and we have to avoid a rush that we may regret. i found it very unusual that when i asked mr. hegseth at the hearing, a sexual assault would be disqualifying to be secretary of defense, he would not agree with me. spousal abuse would be disqualifying to be a secretary of defense. he would not agree with me. being impaired by alcohol while on the job would be disqualifying to be secretary of defense. he would not agree with me. these are not hard questions. they are clearly disqualifying behaviors, and the fact that he would not agree that they were disqualifying behaviors suggested to me as i was watching that testimony that they evinced a little bit of a guilty conscience. why would i want to agree if i have concerns about my own behavior? what has been mr. hegseth's response to allegations of infidelity demonstrating poor judgment, creation of a toxic work culture, alc

is pete hegseth not qualified to be secretary of defense, he is truly a danger. >> reporter: danielle hegsetho was married to hegseth's brother also alleges samantha had a plan to get away from hegseth by texting a safe word to her if she needed help. during his confirmation hearing, hegseth denied any allegations of violence toward his former wives. >> did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives? >> senator, absolutely not. >> reporter: to be confirmed, hegseth can only afford to lose three republican votes. some, including maine's susan collins are still deliberating. >> i had told you earlier i was undecided. >> reporter: in a statement to cbs news, an attorney for pete hegseth said that his ex-wife samantha never alleged any abuse in court documents or to the fbi, and he called daniell hegseth's claims belated and false. norah? >> norah: nikole killion, thank you very much. turning now to the arctic freeze affecting parts of 30 states. for the deep south, it's unprecedented. snow, ice, and even blizzard warnings stretching along the coast from texas thro

i think that's why danielle hegseth came forward again. don't know her and i've not spoken with her. but why would this affidavit be filed now? she saw hegseth deny that he had ever done anything wrong, but then refused to say it would be disqualifying if he had. that's why she's come forward. and, you know, i think there might be others as well. >> also, we have learned again, sitting on the considering the committee you sit on and and what you cover, we've learned that the commandant of the u.s. coast guard was just fired, removed. and the way it's described as is over leadership deficiencies and operational failures, a dhs official told cnn that admiral linda fagan, quote, failure to address border security threats and excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion policies is also what led to it. what's your reaction to this news? >> i'm very troubled by it and other moves that the president is taking with the military. in the first day or so you saw, the president was, you know, was really focused on a day one activity of removing

is pete hegseth not qualified to be secretary of defense, he's truly a danger. >> reporter: danielle hegseths married to hegseth's brother also alleged samantha had a plan to get away from hegseth by texting a safe word to her if she needed help. during his confirmation hearing, hegseth denied any allegations of violence toward his former wives. >> did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives? >> senator, absolutely not. >> reporter: to be confirmed, hegseth can only afford to lose three republican votes. some, including maine's susan collins, are still deliberating. >> i had told you earlier that i was undecided. >> reporter: in a statement to cbs news, an attorney for pete hegseth says his ex-wife samantha never alleged any abuse in court documents or to the fbi, and he called danielle hegseth's claims belated and false. nikole killion, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> multiple new wildfires had crews busy in san diego on tuesday as dangerous winds returned to the region. you can see here how close this fire burning near a shopping mall came to those homes. onl

he drunkenly yelled in my face one night in 2009, danielle hegseth concludes her affidavit by saying, an erratic, volatile person with an alcohol abuse problem. i do not believe he is trustworthy or of good character. it is my opinion he is unfit to serve as secretary of defense. pete hegseth was accused by an unnamed woman in monterey, california, of sexually assaulting her in 2017 and a police interview. pete pete pete hegseth denied the sexual assault but said he had consensual sex with that woman while he was married to his second wife, pete. hegseth paid that woman an undisclosed amount of money to settle that case. joining us now is democratic senator mark kelly of arizona. he's a member of the senate armed services committee. senator kelly, what i've been noticing in the defense of pete hegseth in response to this affidavit is that senators are getting it wrong. joni ernst, senator joni ernst said the ex-wife has denied the allegations. she has sworn that multiple times. so i think we need to take her at a word. but the ex-wife never said there was physical abuse. and your repu

by julie and some of our other colleagues at nbc news, we now know about that affidavit that danielle hegsethte hegseth, has given to the committee. samantha hegseth has not given any public statements, katie, except for one, to nbc news, in which she said solely that she denied that there was any physical abuse that occurred during her marriage. she said that would be her only statement and asked us to please respect her privacy. there is a lot of room to acknowledge what else, danielle hegseth has said in her affidavit that goes beyond and is other than physical abuse. in fact, even the things in her affidavit that sort of touch on or hint at physical abuse don't actually say that samantha hegseth experienced it. what she says is that samantha hegseth, for example, told her that she was so afraid of pete hegseth that at one point she hid in her closet. she also says that they had a safe word, meaning samantha hegseth had a safe word with some of her friends and family so that, if necessary, she could develop an escape plan. and the reason that matters is because samantha hegseth very carefu

nbc news reporting, quote, danielle hegseth, described in the affidavit allegations of volatile and threateningthat made his second wife, samantha, fear for her safety. in the affidavit, the former sister in law details instances in which she says she was, quote, a witness to and even a victim of emotional abuse by pete hegseth. she says she personally witnessed him abusing alcohol numerous times. that reporting is what warren was responding to. so, so memorably. last night, an attorney for hegseth denied the story, telling nbc news excuse me, telling nbc news that hegseth ex-wife, quote, has never alleged that there was any abuse. she signed court documents acknowledging there was no abuse. she recently reaffirmed the same during her fbi interview. the ex-wife herself told nbc there was no physical abuse in my marriage. end quote. i have not and will not comment on my marriage to pete hegseth. for the record, nbc reports that she gave the fbi a prepared statement that said hegseth has had and continues to have a problem with alcohol abuse. but the question of whether hegseth two ex-wives were

and it seems like, yes, there were some senators who were aware of what danielle hegseth is now claiming. >> so. >> katie, that's a lot to unpack. first, let me say. that his ex-wife, samantha. >> hegseth. >> has said. >> on the record in a statement to us that she was not the victim of physical abuse and that she believes that some of the information that her ex sister in law provided is inaccurate. that being said, though, we've not seen the full contents of this affidavit, i should say that not all the senators have seen the full contents of this affidavit and what exactly his ex sister in law is accusing him of or saying was relayed to her about what led her to believe that her sister in law was the victim and was that was living in a state of fear is how she described it. now, whether or not members of the committee were completely aware of this, and at what stage they became aware of it, i think has a lot to do with this vetting process. what i've heard over and over again from democrats on the panel, in fact, i just spoke with senator tammy duckworth, who has been very involved in

we spoke with the attorney for samantha hegseth and for daniel hegseth, and they gave us the same statements they provided to nbc news. it is really disturbing about this, i don't know if you've had a chance or c-span had a chance to see that yet. it's one of the most disturbing documents i've read in a really long time. if you have a spouse that according to the allegations needs a comfort or safe word to be able to communicate safely to your family member to help her get out of the house, i don't know how that can just -- i realize that the secretary of confirm has denied these allegations, but that seems like a very far-fetched thing to just make up. a lot of the other allegations in this affidavit kind of a line with some of the reporting we've seen over the last weeks and months of incidences of problematic drinking and some of the things that the incoming secretary of defense, if confirmed, was alleged to say. we were just talking about sexual assault in the military in one of the most disturbing things to me in the affidavit was an allegation that under the influence of alcohol, he wa

these plans included what danielle hegseth refers to in the affidavit as a, quote, safe word code wordd family know that pete hegseth was in a potentially dangerous and volatile state at home, and that samantha needed help. in the affidavit, danielle hegseth also says that one time, quote, sometime in 2015 to 2016, samantha did text her one of these words and activated the escape plan. danielle hegseth also alleges in the affidavit that samantha told her that on one occasion, samantha had, quote, hid in her closet from hegseth because she feared for her personal safety, end quote. joining us now is nbc news congressional correspondent julie sirkin, who is byline on this incredible new piece of reporting. i want to put a pin in the political dynamics, because i know if you cover that building, you have to count votes. i want to understand the sum and substance of what is in this affidavit and if it's truly new, if the fbi truly investigated mr. hegseth. >> well, nicole, that's the key question here. and we've been reporting this for weeks. we actually broke news last friday when chairma

the claims are in an affidavit danielle hegseth submitted to the senate in response to a question from senator jack reed. pete hegseth has denied the allegations, his attorney saying in part, sam has never alleged that there was any abuse. >> she signed. >> court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse, and recently reaffirmed the same during her fbi interview. related claims by danielle dietrich do nothing to change that. as part of pete and samantha's divorce proceedings in 2021, they signed a document saying neither claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. nbc news asked samantha hegseth about the allegations and she told us, quote, i do not believe your information to be accurate. there was no physical abuse in my marriage. nbc's julie sirkin is. >> at the. >> capitol for us, and we are also joined by amy parnes, senior political correspondent for the hill. julie, who has seen this affidavit. and what reactions are you getting in the senate? >> yeah. good morning ana. well, look, the affidavit is available, an unredacted version for senators to view in a room here in the c

headset's former sister in law, danielle hegseth, claims that he engaged in volatile and threatening conduct that caused his second wife, samantha, to fear for her safety. according to the affidavit, samantha hegseth developed and executed plans with members of hegseth family and mutual friends to help her escape if she felt she needed to get away from hegseth. noting that the plans included what danielle hegseth refers to as a safe word, a code word that samantha could text to her to let friends and family know, or to text her friends and family to let them know that she needed help. through his lawyer, hegseth denied that he was abusive to his ex-wife samantha and his ex-wife samantha, and said there is there was no physical abuse in my marriage. that is what samantha said during their divorce, and both parties signed a court document saying that neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. the affidavit was provided in response to a request by armed services committee ranking member senator jack reed. after learning that danielle hegseth was interviewed for an fbi backg

danielle hegseth who was married to hegseth's brother claimed samantha feared for her safety. lawyer for hegseth denied the allegations. >>> turning now to the arctic freeze affecting parts of 30 states. for the deep south, it's unprecedented with snow, ice, and even blizzard warnings stretching along the coast from texas through louisiana and into the florida panhandle. sadly, it's turned dead with at least four deaths blamed on the winter weather. governors in georgia, louisiana, mississippi, alabama, and even the sunshine state, florida, declared states of emergency. and many people who aren't used to seeing snow tried to take advantage like these surfers in florida swapping the ocean for dry land. cbs' naomi ruchim joins us now with details. you know, many of these communities have never dealt with weather like this. >> reporter: and may never again, michael. good morning. this kind of storm is truly once in a lifetime, especially in the south which is making for some beautiful scenes of people enjoying real sticking snow for what might be their only chance ever. but these

let me ask you about senator thom tillis, because the wall street journal is reporting that danielle hegsethte hegseth, former sister in law, who's the one that came forward, put her name down to these allegations about pete hegseth being violent and abusive and drinking, that thom tillis personally assured her that that he could convince republicans not to vote for hegseth if she was willing to go on the record, and that he himself would not vote for hegseth. this is the accusation or the claim that that she's making. the wall street journal is reporting it out. but tillis was the was the vote that secured his nomination. he was the 50th vote. can you explain that? i i'm a little lost on on the promise that that danielle is claiming and what hegseth or what tillis actually did and whether he would be somebody to look toward for kash patel or for rfk jr or tulsi gabbard. >> yeah. >> i mean, tillis is also up for reelection in a state. katie, that is that is blowing quite quickly, although not as quick as democrats would like it to. what tillis said publicly at the time was he was going to do

and in this case now, with the signed affidavit by samantha hegseth and pete hegseth's former former sister-in-law danielleld her pete hegseth would act in a way that would make h fear for her safety. this is so fast developing, i want to tell you, reed, a top democratic in the armed services committee handling his nomination, sent a letter to danielle hegseth over the weekend asking her to detail any instances of abuse or any hreatening behavior that she experienced. she says, by the way, in the signed affidavit, currently being reviewed by senators, she knows of some of these allegations to be true because of her personal interactions with pete hegseth who she describes as aggressive. zinhle. >> and what sort of reaction, you mentioned reed, what kind of reaction are we hearing from senators? >> reporter: republicans who are viewing the fact the affidavit, five have viewed the document in a closed door private setting. there are two version. one is unredacted. that's what senators are able to review. five of those senators who viewed it, there are questions whether they will go forward in supporting pete

. >> submitted by danielle hegseth. >> pete hegseth. >> sister in law to democratic senator. >> jackold nbc. news about a previously unreported allegation. >> according to. that reporting. >> danielle hegseth. >> says in the. >> affidavit this quote, as i told the fbi. >> samantha once. >> told me that hegseth. >> grabbed her groin without consent. >> at their home. >> samantha told me about this sometime. >> during the years. >> between 2014. >> and 2016. >> i believe what samantha told me. >> because what. >> she told me is consistent with what i personally. >> observed of. >> this erratic and aggressive. behavior over many years. >> danielle hegseth. >> asserts that she did not witness. >> this alleged incident. >> a lawyer for pete. >> hegseth ex-wife. samantha hegseth. >> did not respond to a request for comment from nbc. >> news about this affidavit, but. >> she previously told nbc news. >> this, quote. >> there was no. >> physical abuse. >> in my marriage. this is the only further statement i will. >> make to you. i have let you know that i. >> am not speaking and will not spe

danielle hegseth is not anonymous. there's a whistleblower report that is available to all senate members. i read it ten days ago. it's for members only, but it's available to all hundred of us. and i hope all of my colleagues have read it. it would be a huge mistake to vote on this nomination not having ahead that whistleblower report. would does the whistleblower report involve? it's anything from anonymous. it's a report that was generated years ago when pete hegseth was the leader of an organization called concerned veterans of america. it wasn't created for this hearing. it wasn't created because of a secretary of defense nomination. it was created by disgruntled employees in an organization that pete hegseth was leading. it's a seven-page single-spaced whistleblower report. and again, mr. president, i got to say, it's anything but anonymous. in fact, it mentioned by my count 36 names of individuals connected with concerned veterans for america. and multiple events of improper behavior by pete hegseth as the leade

danielle hegseth says she personally observed erratic and aggressive behavior over many years. she says samantha developed and executed plans to get away. a lawyer for hegseth dismissed the allegations, saying in the divorce samantha signed documents saying there was no abuse. nbc news reached out to samantha hegseth. in an e-mail, she says there was no physical abuse in my marriage. she insisted that she does not want to comment further about her ex-husband. >>> president trump continuing his broad actions on immigration. the department of homeland security how announcing an end to the policy that restricted i.c.e. agents' ability to arrest undocumented immigrants at sensitive locations like schools, months and houses of worship. but backlash to his sweeping proposals is growing. washington making a direct appeal to the president during a prayer service yesterday. >> i ask you to have mercy, mr. president, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution. our god teaches us t

we've known about the allegations specifically from danielle hegseth, and that she had communicated theme for several days. we reached out to samantha for comment initially on those we haven't heard back until we reached out to an attorney for hegseth. and then that's when samantha hegseth told us she does not believe the allegations, that we had to be accurate when we went back to her and specifically pressed her on which allegations in this affidavit that have now been signed by your former sister in law, do you find inaccurate? and she simply said there was no physical abuse in her marriage. but many of the things that danielle is alleging, hiding in a closet, using a safe word, these are things that danielle knows about. because samantha had confided in her, she confided with her friends, with her family members. and this behavior, danielle says, would get worse. when hegseth was abusing alcohol, obviously, samantha and pete hegseth both signed that document saying there was no domestic abuse. but i got to tell you, mika, i mean, in reporting this story, we've heard how difficult it

in response for comment on affidavit by his former sister- in-law, danielle hegseth. samantha told nbc news, "there was no physical abuse in my marriage." >> and peter, let's turn back to fema for a moment. the president is moveing forward with his plan to eventually overhaul it. >> that's right, lester. the president is signing an executive order that will establish a task force to review and provide some of its suggestions to donald trump about what to do with the emergency management agency. >> all right. peter alexander. thank you. >>> tonight, bird flu surgeing. hitting poultry farms hard. and sending egg prices soaring. just as cuts off communication from the cdc and other federal health agencies. here's maggie vespa. >> reporter: tonight, a communications blackout for america's top public health agencies, with president trump's acting hhs secretary, instructing them to refrain from publicly issuing any document, until it has been reviewed and approveed by a presidential appointee. this as vaccine skeptic robert f. kennedy jr. the pause with hhs saying they'll a

she gave to nbc news, a whole battery of other allegations made by her former sister in law, danielle hegsetharmed services committee. that includes allegations that samantha hegseth was so fearful of pete hegseth that she hid in the closet once to protect her safety, and that she had a code word that she used with friends and family, including danielle hegseth herself, in case she ever needed to develop a plan to escape from her ex-husband. ali. >> sahil. the first thing i think of when i hear what lisa is saying about the non-disparagement agreement is the fact that one of the senators that's reluctant to support hegseth is senator thom tillis, who, in a statement to our team yesterday basically said, if i talk to anyone who has a firsthand account of any of these allegations, maybe that would move me. but i can't find anyone who has firsthand accounts that confirm them. >> yeah. >> ali, we'll find out in about nine hours whether this moves any votes. i'm not convinced that anything is going to move republicans at this point, for the simple reason. that this is all happening in a political

. >> this is a statement from danielle hegseth to nbc news.and she put this out after the confirmation hearing. confirmation vote. pardon me. a lot was made about the fact that the many and wide ranging accusations against pete hegseth could be easily brushed aside because they were anonymous. >> there are many reasons women are reluctant to come forward by name and tell the truth about a powerful man like him. a week ago, i was promised that my statement on the record would corroborate the other accusations and make a difference in key votes. >> but in the end, it did not. oh my goodness. what happened today will make women who have experienced abuse and mistreatment even less forthcoming because the men involved in the decisions leading to confirmation have actively perpetuated the mechanisms, including gag orders and fear of retaliation, to keep women silent. >> so in many respects, we are with respect to the sexual predation and abuse of women and the allegations that that are raised by the behavior of powerful men. we're back where we've

now, it was posted on his x account about the affidavit of danielle hegseth. it seems like tillis had asked for detailed responses to questions to answers. and look, i have been talking to tillis all week long. he told me that he is searching for witnesses to corroborate the information that danielle hegseth had put in her affidavit. you will note, rachel, that we've gotten a response from samantha, hatch said both before that affidavit became public and after. right when we were about to report that news, all she told us was she denied allegations of physical abuse in her marriage. but there were plenty of allegations in this affidavit that still had the attention and concern of republican senators like thom tillis. it's a two page letter, and this is frankly, stunning. i have to tell you, in my time covering the capitol, i do not remember another moment in which a nominee came to the capitol to observe his own vote. he is sitting off of the floor with his children and his wife, jenny. it is still not clear again how tillis will vote or mitch mcconnell. but r

danielle hegseth says she personally observed aggressive and erratic behavior over many years. a lawyer for hegseth dismissed the allegations saying in the divorce samantha signed documents saying there was no abuse. nbc news reached out to samantha hegseth. in an e-mail, she says there was no physical abuse in my marriage. she insisted that she does not want to comment further about her ex-husband. >>> israel's far-right minister of security has resigned in protest over the israel-hamas cease-fire. ben-gvir, the jewish power party had previously bragged. and halevi will step down in march. he wants to take responsibility for failing to prevent the incursion into israel on october 7, 2023. what's happening in jenin, claudio? >> reporter: good morning, frances. at least nine people have been killed or died. and at least another 35 were injured after israeli forces raided the city of jenin in the west bank. they were helped also by helicopter. and now israel says this is part of a large-scale operation aimed at protecting, they say israeli settlers and settlements against iran-ba

in the sworn statement, danielle said hegseth ex-wife samantha feared for her safety at times, adding they had a code word if she needed help to get away from her husband. last hour, kate spoke with democratic senator tim kaine, who is on the senate armed services committee, about this. here's what he said. >> we think this latest confirmation of erratic and irresponsible behavior by pete hegseth would make him very, very dangerous as the secretary of defense. and we need to get to the bottom of these allegations before we try to rush a confirmation vote. >> hegseth has denied the allegations. samantha hegseth told nbc news there was no physical abuse in her marriage, and attorney for hegseth also is denying the allegations. joining me now, cnn congressional correspondent lauren fox. lauren, what, if any, impact might this have on pete hegseth chances to get confirmed? >> yeah, that's. >> really the question right now, sara, it's important. >> to. >> remember that the senate. >> armed services committee had already voted along party lines to advance hegseth nomination to the floor of

fox news obtained an affidavit from danielle hegseth formerly married to pete hegseth's brother alleginghat trump's pick for the top job at the pentagon is erratic and volatile and has an alcohol abuse problem. and that his ex-wife, samantha feared for her safety. hegseth denied similar claims at his hearing last week. >> did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives? >> senator, absolutely not. >> on the new allegation, his lawyer says sam has never alleged that there was any abuse. she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her fbi interview. and samantha that hegseth told nbc i do not have representatives speaking on my behalf. i do not believe your information to be accurate. there was no physical abuse in my marriage. >> the senate armed services committee is now taking a look at the document but it's unclear if it jeopardizes any republican votes. >> i hope my republican colleagues will review these allegations, consider them before the vote. >> also today trump secretary of state nominee

and so the allegation from danielle hegseth yesterday reporting her observations of mr. hegseth's behavior, and in particular, abuse of her sister-in-law, have to be given some credence by this committee. and we have to avoid a rush that we may regret. i found it very unusual that when i asked mr. hegseth at the hearing, a sexual assault would be disqualifying to be secretary of defense, he would not agree with me. spousal abuse would be disqualifying to be a secretary of defense. he would not agree with me. being impaired by alcohol while on the job would be disqualifying to be secretary of defense. he would not agree with me. these are not hard questions. they are clearly disqualifying behaviors, and the fact that he would not agree that they were disqualifying behaviors suggested to me as i was watching that testimony that they evinced a little bit of a guilty conscience. why would i want to agree if i have concerns about my own behavior? what has been mr. hegseth's response to allegations of infidelity demonstrating poor judgment, creation of a toxic work culture, alc

a lawyer for hegseth denied all allegations in a statement that reads in part, belated claims by danielleich, an anti-trump far left democrat who is divorced from mr. hegseth brother and never got along with the hegseth family, do nothing to change that. both pete and samantha hegseth signed a court document in 2021 that said neither claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse, and the pair divorced in 2018. still ahead, lebron continues to prove that age is just a number. we'll have the highlights from his big night in la. plus, major league baseball's hall of fame class is set. we'll tell you which greats are going to cooperstown. but first we want to know why are you awake? email your reasons to way too early@msnbc.com or tell me on social media at ali vitali using the hashtag way too early. i've already seen some early responses. we're going to read our favorites later in the show. >> you make good choices. >> they've shaped your. >> journey to leave all that your. >> life built. >> rock solid. >> for generations. with ambition like that, you need someone who elevates advice. >> to. >> a

samantha hegseth during the time in which she was married to pete hegseth, who shared concerns, fearing for her safety. i'm talking about danielle hicks. she's the former sister in law to both samantha and pete hegseth. she says in this copy of this affidavit, a redacted version. quote, i have chosen to come forward publicly as significant personal sacrifice because i am deeply concerned by what hicks says confirmation would mean for our military and our country. she adds that part of her reason, and this is so significant, chris, for coming forward, is because i have been assured that making this public statement will ensure that certain senators who are still on the fence will vote against hicks. that's confirmation. but for that insurance, i would not subject myself or others referred to in this statement to the public scrutiny. this statement is likely to cause. this has been the culmination of days of work from committee staffers on the armed services committee, who have been first in touch with somebody with secondhand knowledge of these allegations. then they were directly in touch with danielle hicks. this was a work in

fox news obtained an affidavit from danielle hegseth, who was formerly married to pete hegseth s brothereging that trump's pick for the top job at the pentagon is erratic and volatile and has an alcohol abuse problem, and that his ex-wife samantha feared for her safety. hegseth denied similar claims that his hearing last week. >> did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives? senator? absolutely not. >> on the new allegations, his lawyer says sam has never alleged that there was any abuse. she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her fbi interview. and samantha hegseth told nbc, i do not have representatives speaking on my behalf. i do not believe your information to be accurate. there was no physical abuse in my marriage. the senate armed services committee is now taking a look at the document, but it's unclear if it jeopardizes any republican votes. >> i hope my republican colleagues will review these allegations, consider them before the vote. >> also today, trump's secretary of state nomi

nbc news reporting, quote, daniel hegseth describes in the affidavit allegations of volatile and threateningegseth that made his second wife, samantha, fear for her safety. in the affidavit, the former sister in law details instances in which she says she was, quote, a witness to and even a victim of emotional abuse by pete hegseth. she says she personally witnessed him abusing alcohol numerous times. quote. among the allegations are that samantha, the ex-wife, hid in a closet once from hegseth that she developed escape plans for use if she felt she needed to get away from hegseth. escape plans that would be activated with a code word. she did once put that escape plan into action. you should know that hegseth ex-wife. she tells nbc news that she will not be commenting on her marriage to pete beyond saying, quote, there was no physical abuse in my marriage. nbc news further reports that as part of their divorce, both pete hegseth and his second ex-wife signed a court document that said neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. asked for comment by nbc news, an attorney for pet

hegseth got the job despite a number of controversies, including his former sister in law, danielle hegseth, saying in an affidavit his behavior made his ex-wife mantha fear for her safety. after the senate vote, danielle released a statement saying, quote, what happened today will make women who have experienced abuse and mistreatment even less forthcoming. hegseth repeatedly denied all of these allegations, and samantha has said there was no physical abuse during their marriage. and today, criticism from both sides of the aisle after the president late friday, according to a senior white house official, fired at least 12 inspectors general tasked with monitoring their agency for fraud, waste and abuse. interior ig mark lee greenblatt was one of the agency watchdogs fired. who does the president appoint in the place of the ig's that he's removed? are they going to be the taxpayers representatives inside the federal agencies, or are they going to be president trump's representatives inside the federal agencies? the law requires the white house to give congress a 30 day notice before firing

hegseth got the job despite a number of controversies, including his former sister in law, danielle hegseth, saying in an affidavit his behavior made his ex-wife samantha fear for her safety. after the senate vote, danielle released a statement saying, quote, what happened today will make women who have experienced abuse and mistreatment even less forthcoming. hegseth repeatedly denied all of these allegations, and samantha has said there was no physical abuse during their marriage and criticism from both sides of the ais after the president late friday, according to a senior white house official, fired at least 12 inspectors general tasked with monitoring their agency for fraud, waste and abuse. interior ig mark lee greenblatt was one of the agency watchdogs fired. who does the president appoint in the place of the ig's that he's removed? are they going to be the taxpayers representatives inside the federal agencies, or are they going to be president trump's representatives inside requires the white house to give congress a 30 day notice before firing an ig, and provide substantive reasons

contradicted each other in terms of the allegations outlined in that affidavit submitted under oath by danielle hegseth, the sister in law, the sister in law of pete and samantha hegseth. and what i thought was so interesting is that in the last hour, reid actually went on the floor and read the allegations out loud, including going further than those that we have even reported, saying that hegseth was drunk in uniform, saying some of the other allegations that we have reported, but enters inserting them into the record in that way. you heard on the other side, wicker defending hegseth, continuing to say that he will get the votes to pass even with senator murkowski's know. take a listen to a little bit about of that back and forth, and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> mr. hegseth, if. >> confirmed. will not improve. >> our military. but. destabilize it and. weaken the institution. >> his experience in the line of fire and his service member advocacy make at least one thing clear. pete hegseth will put the men and women of our military first. >> now, we have not yet heard from some of the othe

according to the reporting, tillis personally assured danielle hegseth in a call on january 19th, witnessed by two other people, that if she signed the statement testifying that she believed her former brother in law, pete hegseth, has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his second wife, it would carry weight and potentially move three votes his own. along with collins, murkowski and collins and murkowski. those people said he, of course, was the 50th yes vote to confirm hegseth as defense secretary. i i'm a little horrified by this story. i don't know if you had seen this story, but i just want to get your reaction to that. >> so let me let me set the table for you just to remind you where we were in the process. if you were able to see the file that was available to the senators confidentially, you saw the allegations against hegseth, and hegseth had said, oh, these are just anonymous smears. they weren't anonymous smears. there were people who had stepped up. there were other people who had said, though in this, but don't let my name be public. and so here is this woman, the form

in a signed affidavit obtained by nbc news, hegseth former sister in law danielle hegseth, claiming the nominee's behavior caused his second wife, samantha, to fear for her safety. that was a quote, and allegedly used a code word to activate an escape plan to quote, get away from hegseth. the affidavit was provided in response to a request by ranking armed services committee member senator jack reed. through his lawyer, hegseth has denied he was abusive toward his ex-wife, claiming his former sister in law had has had an ax to grind against the entire hegseth family. close quote his ex-wife, samantha hegseth, insists there was no physical abuse during their marriage, and both signed a 2021 court document that said neither parent claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. denials that do not specifically contradict the assertions in that sworn affidavit. and across the nation, in just five hours, all federal diversity, equity and inclusion employees will be on paid leave. by order of president trump. he signed an executive order last night promising to close all dei related programs, call

senators have had a couple of days now to review this new affidavit from danielle hegseth, the nominee's former sister in law, about his relationship with his second ex-wife. and senators are very much in discussion about what this will mean. but as you say, we're going to see the first procedural vote today on the hegseth nomination, which i think will tell us a lot about whether the allegations contained within this affidavit or any of the other reporting about pete hegseth has done what ashley was just describing, sort of take the private concerns that many republicans have about donald trump and some of his decisions and push them into a position where they might be public, no votes. we frankly just don't know right now. there has been a great deal of trepidation on the hill among senate republicans, whose votes will be the only one that matters, assuming he's not going to pick up any democratic votes, but whether any senate republicans are ready to come out and say they will vote no. as you see on your screen. another a statement from samantha hague said. pete hegseth ex-wife, who m

that we've reported on first this week in that affidavit signed by pete hegseth, sister in law, danielle hegseth. they were concerned about his nomination even before that. his drinking, his alcohol abuse, how he mismanaged funds at veterans organizations, how he potentially created toxic workplace environments where he worked. these are all things that senators have been hearing from. there have been intermediaries and whistleblowers that have been reaching out to try and share their experiences with pete hegseth, but just susan collins and lisa murkowski voting with presumably all 47 democrats against him, will not do much to change the outcome of tonight's vote if it remains the same as it was yesterday, 51 to 49. he will get through. the question is, are there any other republicans that will join him? i've been talking to in my reporting, and there are a couple that are on the fence, both for national security reasons, concerns, just like senator warren laid out, that he is not the right man to lead the defense department at this current juncture. by the way, the biggest federal agency, but

, of course, what we have reported in numerous people that have spoken to the fbi, including danielle hegseth, who signed that affidavit this week. but none of those allegations were transmitted by the trump transition team to the top lawmakers on the senate armed services committee, despite the fbi presumably having all of that information now, despite the fact that we are just a couple of hours away from hegseth potentially being confirmed, unless two other senate republicans join collins and murkowski and all democrats in opposing him, there are still new allegations and new points coming to light there, for example, is one question that was in the question for the record, typically doesn't make much news. but in this case, it was a question from senator elizabeth warren asking hegseth directly how much money he paid to the woman in monterey, california, that accused him of sexual assault in 2017, a charge hegseth had denied. and certainly we have now statements from that day saying, quote, no charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. and then, of course, that's lawyer pus

that julie and others from nbc news reported on yesterday, is a single paragraph that reflected danielle hegseth allegations that samantha had told her that on one occasion, pete had grabbed her groin without consent during their marriage, that she recalled that conversation happening. katie, between 2014 and 2016, and that she believed what samantha had told her because she had witnessed pete behaving toward his second wife, samantha, in a way that was consistent with those allegations, that he was erratic, that he was aggressive. and then, of course, he goes on she goes on to detail her personal observations of pete hegseth and conversations with samantha hegseth and the remainder of this affidavit, which i'll also flag for you. nbc news was first to report. >> i just want to include pete hegseth has denied this through a lawyer. samantha hegseth, the second wife, has said that there was no physical abuse during their marriage. she said that to nbc news. there's also a 2021 order in their divorce proceeding, in which both parties agreed that neither parent claims to be a victim of domestic abu

these allegations, some of them have actually seen the unredacted version of that report from danielle hegsethister-in-law of pete and samantha, in which she describes those allegations that we've been talking about, many of which that texas attorneys of course, deny, and that samantha has denied to us in the context of physical abuse. i will also tell you that some republicans aren't budging because of samantha's on the record statements. and we had just learned, chris, that last night, the top two lawmakers on the senate armed services committee again received another briefing, this time from white house counsel, who told at least one of the two senators that the fbi background investigation into pete hegseth has now been officially closed. we are just half an hour away from that procedural vote taking place at 2 p.m. today. we do expect some republicans, even ones who are on the fence about hegseth, to move forward in that process. but there are still question marks on how they will vote in that final vote tomorrow. take a listen to some of what we've heard from them. >> it's really hard to