Wall Street Journal: “Over the next 24 hours, Tillis would go from no to the decisive yes vote for Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Pentagon. This story of how […]
Wall Street Journal: “Over the next 24 hours, Tillis would go from no to the decisive yes vote for Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Pentagon. This story of how he flipped—a last-minute blitz by the president, vice president, the Republican whip team and Hegseth himself—shows how political and party pressure came to bear on a vulnerable senator facing re-election next year and on witnesses who came forward and received assurances of protection from Tillis, only to become collateral damage in the fight for a single vote.”
“This dynamic could be replayed in the weeks to come with other cabinet nominees or even votes on issues like taxes or the debt ceiling, as other Republican senators wrestle with how to respond to the second Trump administration’s efforts to muscle through contentious nominations and policy changes, some of which they strongly, but so far privately, oppose.”
