by On Wednesday, Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who announced last month that he would not run for reelection, expressed sorrow for providing the decisive vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, describing him as unfit to head the Pentagon.
In a lengthy interview with CNN presenter Jake Tapper, Mr. Tillis stated, “I think it’s clear with the passing of time that he’s out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization.”
It was Mr. Tillis’ first in-depth interview since he unexpectedly declared on June 29 that he would not seek reelection for a third term the following year. He took the choice the day after Mr. Tillis stated that he was against the bill that carried Mr. Trump’s domestic agenda, and President Trump threatened to support a primary opponent against him.
When the Senate was considering Mr. Hegseth’s nomination in January, Mr. Tillis had been in a similar situation, torn between taking a vote he did not feel comfortable with and running the possibility of political retaliation from Mr. Trump if he did not. In order to spare Mr. Tillis from having to openly oppose Mr. Trump, the senator worked behind the scenes to support claims that Mr. Hegseth had mistreated women. He also made an appeal to the top Senate Republican to withdraw the candidacy.
On the day of the vote on Mr. Hegseth’s nomination, the president had already hinted at the possibility of a primary challenge against Mr. Tillis if he could not be persuaded to step down, speaking to a group of North Carolina lawmakers on Air Force One.
Mr. Tillis finally gave in to pressure from the White House and let Mr. Hegseth’s nomination pass the Senate with ease. Mr. Tillis was able to momentarily appease Mr. Trump and silence the clamor of a primary challenge by stifling his concerns about allegations of excessive drinking and sexual abuse of women, among other things.
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