his alcohol abuse, his racist and misogynistic comments, and most importantly, the fact that samantha hegsethhegseth she was fearful for her own personal safety. >> pete hegseth, the only person that donald trump could appoint to this role, is there anybody else in his orbit that that that would be qualified and that maybe doesn't have this sort of potential baggage? >> yeah, probably 10 million people. i mean, this is the most. >> that would work for donald trump. >> i mean, at least dozens, right? i mean, this is the most unqualified, extreme and disqualified candidate i've ever seen in my life for any cabinet. >> what if it was desantis? >> i'm sorry. that's obviously a tremendous improvement for our national security, our troops and our moral conscience. i mean, this guy shouldn't be running a hot dog stand. i mean, he shouldn't be a principal of your local school. i keep saying that. would anybody who's voting tonight be okay if pete hegseth was going to be the principal of the school where your children go? because this is, in my view, one of the lowest points i've seen in american poli

samantha hegseth, pete hegseth, second wife. so we'll see what those senators end up saying. yvonne, there's a lot of other things happening today. obviously, there's a ton happening. one of the things is the republican leadership going to the white house. this is the majority leader, john thune, and the speaker of the house, mike johnson. what's that meeting going to entail? >> it's going to be. >> imperative for both of those men to not only have that direct line of communication with president trump, but also to get assurance from him as to the priorities that he has legislatively, the order in which those priorities are, you know, sought after and focused on up on capitol hill. because if you look back to just last month during the transition period, of course, donald trump was at the army-navy football game with john thune and with speaker johnson. and just two days later, elon musk and then president elect trump blew up the continuing resolution. that short term spending deal to keep the government budget ongoing. and you look, just in the last couple of weeks, there is

given these developments, would it even matter if we did hear from samantha hegseth, pete hegseth second wife, if she chose to speak out publicly? or is this pretty much in the bag at this point? >> i'm not sure it would matter. i mean, there's a lot out there already about pete hegseth and the people that know him have spoken out to me, though it is unconscionable that the fbi report was apparently not done very well, and it wasn't really shared with any other senators other than the chair, the chairs of the committee. so to me, this is just such an important position. and let me just underscore one thing. you as secretary of defense, you are in line for the employment of nuclear weapons. this isn't just, you know, a random job here. this is a serious position. and to go to what was the point that was made earlier, it has been bipartisan in the past. why? because senators cared about our national security, and they and administrations appointed somebody who was serious. pete hegseth is not that man. >> so. >> helene. >> can we talk some more about the politics of all of this? in his wri

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

she alleges samantha. hegseth told her that she once hid from her then husband in a. >> closet. >> and that samantha developed escape plans with a code word. 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 fo

samantha hegseth has denied physical abuse in her marriage, but she does not deny in the statement shens made by her former sister in law, danielle hegseth. in that affidavit that was submitted to the senate armed 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

they detail potential abuse that samantha hegseth experienced at the hands of pete hegseth. h samantha, of course the second wife of pete hegseth, his ex-wife, who said she is not experienced physical abuse at the hands of her ex-husband who is now days away potentially from being confirmed by the senate to be trump's secretary of defense. it's a major position. there were questions before these allegations came to light. we have been working on this for weeks. in the confirmation hearing last tuesday there was a moment in which the republican chairman entered into the record a document from his divorce with samantha hegseth in which both of them signed that they were not victims of any domestic abuse. and in this case now, with the signed affidavit by samantha hegseth and pete hegseth's former former sister-in-law danielle, she says samantha told 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 heg

samantha hegseth at times. feared for her safety and had a code word in case she needed to get away. >> from her husband. >> pete hegseth has denied the allegations, and his ex-wife, samantha hegseth, told nbc news there was no physical abuse in my marriage. but sources also tell cnn that samantha hegseth recently gave a new statement to the fbi regarding. concerns about hegseth drinking. he has repeatedly denied having a drinking problem. he's also said he wouldn't drink as defense secretary, but refused to say whether he would resign in case he did drink. >> will you resign. >> as secretary of. >> defense if you drink. >> on the job. >> which is. >> a 24 over seven position? >> i've made this commitment on. >> behalf of. >> will you resign. >> as. >> secretary of defense? >> i've made this commitment. >> on behalf. >> of the men and women i'm serving. >> i'm not. >> because it's the most. important deployment. >> of hearing. an answer to. >> my questions. >> cnn has also previously reported on an accusation o

pete hegseth and his second ex-wife, samantha. clause is not a full nondisclosure agreement. a lawyer for mr. hegseth, tim parlatore, tells msnbc, quote, it is a limited non-disparagement agreement. these are two legally distinct concepts. there's nothing inappropriate or inaccurate about mr. hegseth answers to the committee. it takes some significant imagination and intellectual dishonesty for anyone to consider this, to bear on the credibility of his testimony. both parties will refrain from engaging in any public discourse disparaging the other party. senator kaine provided a statement to msnbc as well, saying, quote, that clause in a divorce settlement could expose someone to severe consequences for sharing unflattering information about an ex-partner, even if that information is true, the existence of this agreement, which has not been previously reported, seems important. on the eve of pete hegseth s confirmation vote tomorrow in the united states senate, one that seems to hinge on just 1 or 2 votes. msnbc legal 2 votes. msn

because for the first time, we are hearing on the record of somebody who spoke directly with 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

we do know from open source reporting that in a recent interview with fbi investigators, samantha hegseth reportedly told fbi investigators that not only had mr. hegseth drunk to excess in his recent life history, but that he continues to do so. senators have raised concerns about his the allegations of fiscal mismanagement in veterans groups that he was part of the drinking allegations, obviously, and the allegations about his involvement with women that he was married to and women who he says he had a consensual, a woman who he said he had a consensual relationship with that nevertheless resulted in a police report, although no charges against mr. hegseth. >> rachel, if i could just jump in real quick, we just have a new tweet or post on x from senator thom tillis about hegseth saying at the end of this tweet that i will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance president trump's peace through strength agenda. this is so stunning because it is coming seconds after pete hegseth posted that long document revealing the questions and a

problem with alcohol. >> abuse. >> and samantha. >> hegseth set and said in. >> a statement. >> as we've already said. repeatedly on this program, many, many times that she has said, pete hegseth has not physically abused her. the issue of abuse in the in the second marriage case has never been an issue of physical abuse. no one has alleged that it is possible that some of the republican senators who voted to limit debate might still be undecided about how they will vote on the nomination. for example, senator mitch mcconnell. >> has. >> not indicated how he will vote on the nomination if pete hegseth loses, one more republican senator than the vice president will have to cast the tie breaking vote in the senate. and if pete hegseth loses, two more republican senators between now and the time of the vote, he will not be confirmed, and donald trump will have to look for another defense secretary. leading off our discussion tonight is democratic congresswoman mikie sherrill of new jersey. she's a member of the house armed services committee and a former helicopter pilot in the united state

danielle hegseth says samantha used the code word in a text to her in either 2015 or 2016. ow an attorney for hegseth denies the allegation. but let's talk about this. joining us right now is a member of the senate armed services committee, democratic senator tim kaine of virginia. senator, thank you for being here. what is your reaction to this new allegation? >> kate, it's completely consistent with other material that the committee had. >> available to us and other witnesses who have come forward, who have shared their own experiences, their direct knowledge of this situation with committee members. ow, many of them have been too afraid to go public. but danielle hegseth, who i did not know, have not met or not talked to her until i saw this affidavit yesterday. her account is very consistent with other accounts we're hearing, and that's why we are encouraging our colleagues. don't rush on this one. we think this latest confirmation of erratic and irresponsible behavior by pete hegseth would make him very, very dangerous as a secretary of defense. and we need to get to th

samantha hegseth, pete hegseth second wife, said i do not believe your information to be accurate andy lawyer. there was no physical abuse in my marriage. this is the only further statement i will make to you. i have to let you know that i am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to pete. a lawyer for pete hegseth denied all allegations in a statement that reads in part, belated claims by danielle dietrich and 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. the pair divorced in 2018. let's bring in nbc news capitol hill correspondent julie sirkin with more on this. julie, what are you seeing in this? and it seems to me that republicans would be looking at patterns. i think it gets complicated getting into family dynamics, but perhaps patterns of behavior. and would that then draw back to maybe alcohol abuse or other things? >> well, obviously, mika, those things

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 that we are to be

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 the united states senate, and we expect that that vote could happen as soon as at the end of this week or into the weekend, depending on how much work democrats want to do to try to slow down this process. obviously, they can try to make republicans burn through all of their available time, but after that, there's very little that democrats can do because republicans have a majority with three seats that they could potentially lose here and still get hegseth. through, you know, one person to keep an eye on is senator roger wicker. he is the chairman of this committee. and he said yesterday to

in an email exchange with nbc news, samantha hegseth, who was pete hegseth second wife, said i do notve your information to be accurate and i've copied my lawyer. there was no physical abuse in my marriage. this is the only further statement i will make to you. i've let you know that i am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to pete. a lawyer for hegseth denied all allegations in a statement that reads in part, belated claims by danielle dietrich, 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

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-backed militants. they say iran is trying to send weapons or money to operations in the west bank. this operation is called iron wall and follow as week of tension wh

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 abuse. jake, one more to you on this subject and that is why do you think lisa murkowski and susan collins feel comfortable coming out and saying no? and joni ernst does not, potentially. i don't want to put thoughts in her head, but she was more skeptical toward him before, and now she's not as skeptical. >> i could just tell you i could. i don't want to. i don't want to put them on a psychiatrist couch here and explain their psyche. but i will put some some facts out there. number one, when ernst said she was, when she signaled she might be against the nom

in the affidavit, danielle hegseth also says that one time, quote, sometime in 2015 to 2016, samanthathe 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 chairman wicker, the republican chairman of the committee, and jack reed, the top democrat on the committee, finally got briefed on that report by transition officials. and the concern, both publicly and privately from our sources is that, of course, the fbi, in these confirma

, now nbc, spoke to samantha herself, who says there were no actual incidents of violence. pete hegseth denies all new allegations as he has previous allegations. when they divorced in 2021, they both signed a court document which said neither claimed to be victims of domestic abuse. it's hardly the first time people have made allegations against hegseth. his own mother castigated him in a letter accusing him of mistreating women, but later said she withdrew the allegations. hegseth has said he will not drink if he is secretary of defense. that's not good enough for the top democrat on the senate armed services committee, who said this behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense. the federal bureau of prisons continues to release january 6th. rioters after president trump's pardons. among them rachel powell, who in popular culture is known as the pink hat lady or ice ax lady, powell used an ice ax to break into the capitol, and was seen directing capitol attackers with a bullhorn

pete hegseth ex-wife, samantha hegseth. spoke to the fbi. ex-husband and gave them a prepared statement saying he had and continues to have a problem. with alcohol abuse. that's according to two sources who spoke to our colleagues, julie sirkin and sarah fitzpatrick. headset's team denies all of those allegations from samantha hegseth, and said the claims are, quote, clearly and obviously false to any objective viewer. >> ana. >> okay. sahil kapur, thank you. keep us posted. if there is any new development that should shake loose during this hour. joining us now is former senior republican congressional advisor reena shah and former clinton adviser richard goodstein. and reena, as far as the white house is concerned, the matter is closed. but there are still republicans like tom tillis seeking out more details. i just wonder if some of the on the fence republicans feel like this vote is being rushed or rammed through. could it backfire for president trump? >> well. >> that is what. >> i'm hearing right now from republicans who feel sort of l

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

hegseth's fitness for this position. an escape plan and a code word samantha developed in case she ever felt the need to get away from her then husband, which apparently happened once. hegseth's lawyer dismissed the allegations. samantha hegseth, for her part, said in a statement, quote, there was no physical abuse in her marriage. we should also note in 2021, both pete and samantha hegseth signed a court document saying neither of them claimed to be the victim of domestic abuse. craig? >> thank you. garrett haake at the white house. >>> let's bring in hallie jackson, our senior washington correspondent. good morning. let's talk about these pardons. president trump got push back from both sides of the aisle. police unions seem to be furious, some of which endorsed him. is this more blow back than he anticipated? >> think of the scope of these pardons, savannah. that is what it comes down to, including some in president trump's own party. he was repeatedly asked during the campaign, before he took office, about whether he'd pardon these violent offenders spececifically now, president trump himself never explicitly ruled t

she is danielle hicks that says, as i told the fbi, samantha once told me that hegseth grabbed her groint their home. samantha told me about this sometime during the years between 2014 and 2016, she says, i believe what samantha told me, because what she told me is consistent with what i personally observed of hicks erratic and aggressive behavior over many years. she does note that she didn't personally witness any physical or sexual abuse, but this does raise new questions as to why this interview with the fbi that danielle says she had, and many others were not relayed to the top senators on that committee by multiple briefings that we now know the trump transition team provided to them as recently as last night. while hicks confirmation process is continuing to move forward on it. >> and julie, we showed some clips of your interviews with these different senators, including senator collins, senator tillis, both republicans who don't seem so certain where their vote is going to land. has this new information changed any senators minds that you know of? >> i will tell you that the sena

defense, he is truly a danger. >> reporter: danielle hegseth, who was married to hegseth's brother also alleges samantha 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 through louisiana and into the florida panhandle. cbs's kati wei

hegseth s brother. alleging 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 samanthaed 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 nominee, marco rubio, was sworn into office. >> congratulations, mr. secretary. [applause] >> but some senate republicans are frustrated. more haven't b

that i was undecided. >> reporter: in a statement to cbs news, an attorney for pete hegseth says his ex-wife samanthalleged 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. only one building was damaged before the flames were put out. fires in other parts of san diego led to evacuation orders, school closures, and power being shut off. >>> turning now to an unprecedented winter storm hitting the dope south. believe it or not, this is new orleans, covered in snow. ice and snow charge along the coast from texas all the way to florida, closing highways and grounding nearly all flights and at least four people have died in the storm. >>> when "cbs news roundup" continues, we'll take you to el paso, texas where president donald trump's new immigration crackdown has some people in tears along america's southern border. ♪♪

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 background check, but that details of her testimony were not included in the final briefing provided to senators. joining me now is senator chris murphy of connecticut. he's a member of the senate foreign relations committee. senator, thank you for being here. let's go through this. the meritocracy that donald trump wants to build includes mr. hegseth, who in addition,

now nbc, spoke to samantha herself, who says there were no a actual incidents of violence. pete hegsethies all the new allegations, as he has previous allegations, and when they divorced in 2021, the couple signed a court document which said neither claimed to be victims of domestic abuse. hardly the first time people have made allegations against hegseth. his own mother castigated him in a letter accusing him of mistreating women, but later withdrew those allegations. hegseth has said he will not drink if he's secretary of defense. not good enough for the top democrat on the senate armed services committee, who said this behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense. the federal bureau of prisons continues to release january 6th rioters after president trump's pardons. among them rachel powell, who's been known in popular culture as pink hat lady or ice ax lady. powell carried and used an ice ax to break into the capitol and was seen directing capitol attackers with a bullhorn. sh

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, calling them radical and wasteful. a memo sent to agency

we have had the experience of anita hill, folks like samantha hegseth, if she has something interesting to say, or the accuser and the monterey, california incident with pete hegseth shouldn't be treated similarly. we've had decades to figure this out. the senate needs to figure it out now. >> but in terms of the politics and the theater of this hearing, the hegseth theory is coming. both lisa and ken mentioned the important name here is brett kavanaugh. the kavanaugh hearings have established a playbook for republicans. that's what i've been told how they're going to approach this, the sort of angry defiance, maybe from hegseth himself, but certainly from his defenders in the senate. we remember lindsey graham in the brett kavanaugh hearings. expect more of that. this idea you're trying to take down a good man. there are no allegations here. it's innuendo. it's rumors. where are they? that's the sort of approach we're going to see from the trump and others want joe. the idea that like don't give in, always fight, don't abandon it, and even potentially smear the reputations of the accus

samantha hegseth. it states that there were no claims of domestic abuse or probable evidence of abuse in the relationship. without objection that will be added to the record. we now move to senator kramer. >> thank you, mr. chairman and thank you, mr. hegseth for your service and willingness to endure this. i'm sorry for what has been happening to you particularly the very idea that you should have to sit there and answer hypothetical potential in somebody's imagination crimes that may take place at some point and wouldn't that disqualify you if you were a murderer or a rapist? unfair, unfair. i'm embarrassed for this behavior. first i want to say thank you for your strong proclamation unapologetic of faith in jesus christ. i sat here and listened to your opening statement and thought wow, this is a guy who in today's culture is willing to stand up and say the first thing is first faith in jesus christ. and i was reminded of what christ said in matthew, seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteou

this is samantha hegseth. e was pete hegseth second wife, and she reportedly told the fbi, quote, he drinks more often than he doesn't. that's according to a source familiar with the new statement that she provided to them. and of course, that statement comes on top of the past allegations of sexual assault, which he's denied, and alcohol abuse, which he has denied, which were a big point of contention during pete hegseth confirmation hearing. i was there and watched him get questioned about it at length. now he's denied the allegations. he's repeatedly called them, quote, anonymous smears. and just moments ago we learned the senate said a key procedural vote for his confirmation tomorrow afternoon. my white house insider tonight is politico's white house bureau chief, dasha burns. and it's great to have you. welcome to being on cnn. so, um, this is a statement that came out. he's already advanced out of committee. we've seen how the lines have been drawn. the question is whether or not this matters to the sena

maybe there's brand new reporting on a divorce settlement with his second ex-wife, samantha hegseth.is not a full nondisclosure agreement, but nbc can report that it includes a non-disparagement clause. according to that reporting, quote, pete and samantha hegseth are prohibited from saying anything negative about the other parent in front of their children and that each will, quote, refrain from engaging themselves in any public discourse, including through either traditional media or social media, disparaging the other party. joining our conversation, nbc news congressional correspondent julie sirkin and ceo of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, former army captain allison jaslow, take us through. julie, the latest reporting on mr. hegseth. >> yeah, well, this was actually part of a document that i want to be clear. republicans and democrats on the committee have had access to since before its confirmation hearing. and in this document, as lisa had laid out in her reporting, they are being careful about what they're calling this. it's some sort of confidentiality agreement.

earlier review of hegseth's divorce from second wife samantha, includes a court-ordered agreement that would preclude either saying negative things about the are the. 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, un

she goes on to say samantha hegseth feared for her safety, and even had a code word to help her get away from her then husband. hegseth has denied the allegations. in a statement to nbc news, hegseth ex-wife says there was, quote, no physical abuse in my marriage. cnn congressional correspondent lauren fox is joining us now live from capitol hill. so, lauren, this affidavit coming just a day after the committee voted, of course, to advance hegseth nomination. what are lawmakers saying in response? >> yeah, so far, the response we are seeing is largely falling along party lines. as you noted, the senate armed services committee had already voted on hegseth nomination. when we got word and started reporting on this affidavit. but so far, it doesn't appear that, at least for members of that committee, it's having much of an impact. here's the top republican on the committee, senator wicker, who said, quote, i have not reviewed the document. my reaction is that i have grave doubts as to the substance. i think the nomination is going to go forward by thursday. now, the anticipation on capitol

one source familiar with her statement says samantha hegseth told the fbi, quote, he drinks more often than he doesn't. with us now, cnn's senior political commentator david axelrod and republican strategist doug heye. i don't want to spend too much time on this, doug, but i do want to ask you quickly, new information here. maybe we'll find out more about it. maybe we won't. but what would it take at this point for something to derail in your mind, the hegseth nomination i think. >> what we would need is. very verifiable information and full releasing from fbi reports. what we've heard is obviously troubling, but not troubling to the overwhelming majority of republican senators. and if the vote were held today, pete hegseth would get through. it would probably be a 5050 vote, maybe 5149 or a 5150 vote, because jd vance would, as vice president, would have to vote. but if there's not anything that is truly verifiable, republicans will find a fig leaf that they need to support him. >> all right. i want to move on to other issues here, and i want to read a section of the memo that went ou

. >> we should say that that samantha hegseth, who's the ex-wife in question in that, told nbc news that there was no physical abuse in my marriage. those are those are her words and response. that affidavit, though, that affidavit, we should also be clear, alleges things that aren't physical abuse, an atmosphere of fear and danger. pete hegseth, lawyer, dismissed the allegations. the last point i'll just make here, jane, the folks in this organization were not liberals out to get conservative. pete hegseth. these were people who were working at a conservative organization. like, i just want to be clear, because i think sometimes it's things are so partizan, it's like, oh, they're out to get like, this has nothing to do with ideology or partizan temperament, right? this whistleblower report is people talking about the guy managing them. >> i mean, these people are conservatives. they're mostly republican. yeah, they are mostly veterans. and you have to remember this report and these other allegations surfaced before he was nominated to be secretary of defense. these were not created beca

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 other republicans that i am aware of that are teetering on hexum's nomi

danielle hegseth said i believe hegseth has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his ex-wife samanthaterms as a lay person. pete hegseth mother's email completely supports and agrees with that position. the affidavit goes on to say, samantha told me that she once hid in her closet from hegseth because she feared for her personal safety. this happened in their house 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 hegseth erratic and aggressive behavior over many years. i was aware that samantha had a plan to deploy if she felt she needed to get away from hegseth, samantha told me and another person close to her about this plan, which involved samantha texting me a safe word code word that meant i should call the other person so that person could fly out to minnesota to help her. samantha did text me this code word sometime in 2015 2016. i was myself a witness to and even a victim of emotional abuse by hegseth. he drunkenly yelled in my face one night in 2009, danielle hegseth con

formerly married to pete hegseth's brother alleging 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, samanthaeared 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 marco rubio was sworn into office. >> congratulations, mr. secretary. [applause] >> but some senate republicans are frustrated. more haven