Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is denying that she reportedly rejected an offer to meet privately with the woman who has accused President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, of sexual assault.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Monday along party lines to send Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be defense secretary to the Senate floor as President Donald Trump tries to move quickly to get critical members of his Cabinet in place.

The nominee can only afford to lose three GOP senators if Democrats unite against him so attention could now shift to Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and other potential swing votes.

Sen. Angus King joined Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday in voting against the nomination of former Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department of Defense.

WASHINGTON − Senators pressed Pete Hegseth on his alleged history of heavy drinking, shifting views on women in the military, and his treatment of women in a wide-ranging and often combative confirmation hearing on Tuesday to assess if he is up to the job of Secretary of Defense.

Stonewalling questions about his sexual behavior and excessive drinking as “anonymous smears,” the Fox host charmed the Senate Armed Services Committee’s GOP majority into submission.

The Iowa Republican’s decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s defense secretary.

Maine's independent senator asked President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Pentagon about his views on women in combat, torture and the war in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — If Pete Hegseth were still in uniform ... has piled pressure on those seen as not fully on board. Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Maine Republican, said after meeting Hegseth ...

Trump picked Leah B. Foley, a longtime federal prosecutor who has investigated money laundering and drug trafficking, to lead the US Attorney’s office for Mass.

Moving beyond the attack on the Capitol has become a central approach for congressional Republicans who have enthusiastically re-embraced Trump after his 2020 defeat and his attempts to overturn