Establishmentarians are desperate to prevent decorated Army veteran Pete Hegseth from becoming President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary. Opposition from Democrats, defense lobbyists, and the liberal media is surmountable; however, Hegseth will require the support of most Republicans going into the 119th Congress.

Sources close to the Senate confirmed to Blaze News this week that Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has been actively lobbying against Hegseth's nomination. One source indicated that Ernst is serving as a "useful proxy" for the likes of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and what remains of the old guard.

When looking into possible reasons why Ernst might want to spike the nomination, critics found that Ernst has a disparate vision for the U.S. military — one not so different from the woke and alienating reality that manifested under the current Democratic administration.

Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk was among the critics whohighlighted an August interview wherein the Iowa senator advocated for the continued presence of medical transvestites in the military and rejected the suggestion that the military is woke. Kirk wrote, "Maybe this is why she's leading the charge against Hegseth?"

Ernst, who served for over two decades in the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, told the titular host of PBS' "Firing Line with Margaret Hoover" in August that "we have transgender people serving in our military. They will bleed red just as the rest of us."

The senator, recently touted by ABC News as a possible candidate to replace Hegseth, has long defended permitting medical transvestites to serve in the military on the condition that they can meet physical requirements.

Blaze News previously reported that whereas mentally ill recruits, individuals reliant on medications, women with abnormal uterine bleeding, men with deformed genitals, those with chronic anxiety, and those who have committed self-harm are routinely barred from joining the military, similar prohibitions have apparently been relaxed under the Biden administration for those claiming to be "transgender."

'[The DOD] committed a Bud Light.'

Ernst told Hoover that there are certain situations in which it makes sense not to integrate transvestites, giving the example of keeping a male transvestite who has yet to complete his sex change out of women's barracks. However, the senator signaled continued opposition to Trump's previous and potential blanket bans on transvestic service members, stating, "If they bring value to our unit, if they have specialties that we can use, especially if we want to maintain an all-volunteer force, we want to bring that talent into our services."

Significant doubt has been cast in recent years on the corresponding value proposition.

Then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated in a Feb. 22, 2018, Pentagon memo that in "the Department's best military judgment, the Department of Defense concludes that there are substantial risks associated with allowing the accession and retention of individuals with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria and require or have already undertaken a course of treatment to change their gender."

Thomas Spoehr, former director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, concluded in 2021 that the Biden administration's "decision to change U.S. military policy and allow unrestricted service by transgender individuals — without regard to whether they suffer from gender dysphoria — will result in a direct negative impact on military readiness linked to service members who are less able to deploy and perform their individual missions."

Hegseth may be amenable to a transvestite ban.

"I think we're at a 's*** or get off the pot' moment. We are at a tipping point for total institutional corruption, and Trump has a chance to reverse that," Hegseth recently told the "Shawn Ryan Show." "[The DOD] committed a Bud Light. In search of a non-traditional constituency, they offended their core constituency."

Hegseth suggested on the "Take It Outside with Jay Cutler and Sam Mackey" podcast that medical transvestites in the military are "not deployable" because they are "reliant on chemicals."

Trump's pick for defense secretary has also questioned having female service members on the battlefield, telling Shawn Ryan, "It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated."

'If you vote against him, primaries will ensue.'

Ernst, who has voiced support for requiring women to register for the draft and previously voted to confirm President Joe Biden's defense secretary pick, Gen. Lloyd Austin, has emphasized that "women are perfectly capable of contributing in combat, whether it's combat arms or someone like me that was supporting combat operations with the movement of goods up into combat zones."

Ernst similarly pushed back on the suggestion that the military has been "marred with a sentiment of wokeness, some social experimentation," telling Hoover, "Our military is not woke. I would say that there is civilian leadership of thee military that is woke. ... There is a difference between the leadership and those that serve in uniform."

Rebecca Grant, vice president of the Lexington Institute, told Bloomberg that Ernst's reluctance to back Hegseth may also have something to do with a 2017 sexual assault allegation against the Fox News host. Even though no charges were ever filed and Hegseth's attorneys have repeatedly stressed that the allegations were false, Grant suggested that the nominee will have to once again rebut the allegations to reassure Ernst, who was reportedly raped in college.

After meeting with Hegseth Wednesday, the Iowa senator noted on X, "I appreciate Pete Hegseth's service to our country, something we both share. Today, as part of the confirmation process, we had a frank and thorough conversation."

BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler tweeted, "Why is Joni Ernst a GOP Senator? Supports trans in the military. Supports gun control. Supports giving Ukraine more $$. Votes Dem 38% of the time. Voted for Lloyd Austin, Biden Sec Def who oversaw deadly Afghanistan withdrawal. If she won't vote Pete, time to fire Joni."

"This is a direct attempt to undermine the President and his voters," wrote Kirk. "Pete Hegseth is the redline. If you vote against him, primaries will ensue."

When asked whether she was leading the charge against Hegseth, Ernst told RealClearPolitics, "There is absolutely no campaign against Pete."

"I just want to make sure the process is able to play out and that we’re thoroughly vetting him. I do believe that Pete deserves to have a hearing. All the rumblings out there are absolutely false. My role as a senator is to make sure that we are putting to bed any rumors, any anonymous whatever," continued the senator. "We just need to make sure that he is thoroughly vetted and that he has his opportunity to go in front of the committee, recount his service, and rebut any allegations."

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