Susan Collins denies she ‘turned down’ meeting with Hegseth accuser

Collins, a centrist who could prove vital to Hegseth’s future but so far remains undecided on his confirmation, was approached in recent weeks by a third-party individual with supposed access to the alleged accuser from an extramarital affair in 2017 that Hegseth has defended as a consensual encounter.

The New Yorker reported Collins and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) “declined an offer” to meet with Hegseth’s alleged victim, an account that both senators denied to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday as the Pentagon nominee had his confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“I never turned down a meeting with Mr. Hegseth’s accuser. I was never contacted by her or her attorney,” Collins said in a statement. “I was approached by a third party about a meeting, and I said that I would think about it. I never heard back from anyone after that.”

There was skepticism about the legitimacy of the offer, but the senator never declined a meeting, according to a source familiar with the episode.

Collins said it would have been more appropriate for the offer to be taken to the Senate Armed Services Committee tasked with Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, a panel that Collins is not a member of.

“As a general matter, allegations like this are best brought to the committees responsible for the nomination,” Collins added.

Collins’s office declined to provide information on the third-party person who approached the senator. It is unclear who Hegseth’s accuser is, and Hegseth has not denied that he is in a nondisclosure agreement with his accuser.

Ernst, who does sit on the committee, “did not decline” a meeting with the accuser “because she did not receive a request,” her office told the Washington Examiner.

Collins and Ernst are up for reelection next year and have faced blowback from both sides of the aisle over their noncommittal stances on voting to confirm Hegseth.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MI), the Senate Armed Services chairman who oversaw Tuesday’s contentious hearing, said it was his belief that the accuser was not interviewed as part of Hegseth’s FBI background check because she did not wish to speak with officials.

“I don’t think she wanted to speak. They interviewed 60 or more witnesses. Three asked not to be identified,” Wicker told reporters. “I think the committee has been adequately advised, and basically, the committee members have made up their minds.”

As a result, Democrats decried the FBI background check, with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) calling it “insufficient” Tuesday.

Hegseth’s nomination has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse, and financial mismanagement in past roles. Most recently, he was a Fox News host until he was tapped by Trump in November to lead the Department of Defense.

Hegseth will require the backing of a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate, a chamber Republicans now control 52-47. Once a replacement is installed for Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s former Ohio Senate seat, the GOP’s margin will return to 53-47.

Hegseth emerged largely unscathed from his confirmation hearing thanks to the absence of any bombshell revelations and denied alleged wrongdoing, including the sexual assault accusations that he characterized as part of a smear campaign.

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Ernst, a sexual assault survivor and key holdout on Hegseth, appeared inclined to advance his nomination from the committee in a vote that could take place as early as next week. Just hours after the hearing, she made her support for Hegseth official.

“I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address & prevent sexual assault in the ranks,” said Ernst, a combat veteran.