I saw this floated last week but it quickly got lost in the news. However, once again Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is being pushed by some as a replacement pick for Pete Hegseth as SecDef. Of course, as of this writing Hegseth is still Trump’s nominee. It feels like the nutso stuff with Patel taking over the FBI when Chris Wray is on the job and not giving any indication he’s going to step down voluntarily. So first Trump has to pull Hegseth’s nomination which isn’t going to happen. That means someone will have to on Trump’s behalf tell Hegseth to withdraw. But it appears like Gaetz being AG Hegseth being SecDef is doomed. It’s been apparent for a week now so naturally the speculation has been about ‘who’s next?’
Revolting as the thought is none other than Ron DeSantis is now being talked about for the job. Florida, including a lot of Florida legislators (GOP ones too) might be praying every hour on the hour for it to happen. He’s at least marginally qualified. He was a JAG Officer (military lawyer) and did okay during his service, and he’s got legislative experience. Being a Governor of a major, diverse state with a lot of military bases/assets counts for something too. Yes, he sucks in all manner of ways but at least he’s got some needed qualifications.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Florida Senator Marco Rubio will sail through confirmation as Secretary of State which means DeSantis gets to name a replacement. (grab a bucket!) Incredibly, or perhaps not none other than Fredo 2’s wife, Trump’s daughter-in-law we better know (but sure as hell don’t love) as Lara Trump has been mentioned as the new Senator from Florida! Hey, I warned you grab a bucket! We are after all talking about Donald Trump and his wanting to be as ‘cray’ as possible and what better way to ‘own the libs’ than installing Lara in the U.S. Senate? DeSantis still wants, and crazy as it sounds still thinks about being President someday. Currying favor with Trump, as in being back in Trump’s good graces by appointing Lara to Rubio’s seat would be the way to do it. One of those purely transactional things.
Still, while Lara is thrilled with the idea it didn’t exactly inspire burst of warm fuzzies from the right wing. Sure, some loved the idea but it seems to have dipped below the radar as far as I can tell. And, prior to the latest news about Hegesth’s tenure at a couple of Veteran’s organizations some years back it looked like Trump might force the Senate’s hand. Confirmation was a toss-up at best but I believe down there at Mar A Lago Team Trump thought he (Trump) could bully the thing through. Now we are hearing there’s a good half-dozen solid no votes already. At least privately. So it looks like Hegseth is going to get pressured into doing what Gaetz did and withdrawing.
That gets us back to the who the hell will Trump turn to? DeSantis in a Lara for Senate if I get to be SecDef transaction? Or someone else? Let’s face it, if it goes down that way a rough but likely successful confirmation of DeSantis would likely happen. However, that assumes Trump wants Lara in the Senate in the first place. Or would trust DeSantis not to undercut him in the process of setting himself up to resign in a couple of years and run in 2028.
Enter Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. Like DeSantis (and unlike Hegseth) she’s at least qualified for the job. Ernst had a solid career in the Army Reserve and Guard and retired at the rank of Lt. Col. Her committee work on Capitol Hill has been solid and earned respect and praise from colleagues. As this article from Newsweek indicates Ernst would likely have a reasonably smooth confirmation process and pick up a fair number of Democratic votes:
Senator Joni Ernst, who is reportedly among the GOP holdouts against Hegseth’s confirmation, is being floated by some in the party as an “obvious” choice for the Cabinet position.
Asked about the prospect of Ernst filling the role, GOP Senator Kevin Cramer told CNN‘s Lauren Fox on Wednesday morning, “She’d be easy to confirm. And I think she’d be great. Actually, I have a lot of friends that would like that job. If she wanted it, she’d be my first pick.”
Cramer, if you read the linked article isn’t the only Republican of account who thinks Ernst would be a good choice, or a fairly obvious pick. And again, she would pick up support from some Democrats. Would there be issues? Sure. Her anti-abortion views will make life difficult for health care of women either in or connected to (dependents of active duty members) the military. However she’s also been a leader in addressing the pervasive problem of sexual misconduct and assault in the ranks. And she’d make history as the first woman to hold the post of SecDef. Trump might like sucking up credit for something like that.
On the other hand, Ernst has been critical of Trump so there’s that. He doesn’t forget or forgive ANY slights. However, when it’s in his interest to do so he’ll overlook them at least for a while. He’s got plenty to overlook when it comes to DeSantis. And he’s got other controversial nominees. Like ‘Little Marco Rubio’ Ernst would be someone who folks like us could say ‘Well, it could have been a lot worse. And at least she’s got qualifications for the job.’
It would make a lot of sense for Trump to go this route. A LOT of sense which in its own perverse Trumpian way is why he might not do it. But keep an eye on this.
WAIT!!! She is too qualified!!!
“He’s at least marginally qualified. He was a JAG Officer (military lawyer) and did okay during his service, and he’s got legislative experience.”
Well, I’d like to see DeSantis’s record as a JAG officer to see just how good he was and exactly what he did there. Given all the blatantly UNCONSTITUTIONAL actions he’s taken as Florida’s governor, I find it hard to believe the man knows anything about the law, much less acted as a military lawyer.