Tillis says he deferred to the committee and did his own due diligence before voting yes
Thom TillisU.S. senator for North Carolina, in a statement from his Senate office
On the day of the vote, Tillis said he had committed to support nominees reported favorably by committee unless new material information emerged, and that after his own due diligence he would vote to confirm Hegseth.
“From the beginning, I have been clear about my position: if President Trump’s nominees were reported favorably out of the relevant committees, I would support their confirmation on the Senate floor absent new material information about their qualifications. Once Pete Hegseth’s nomination was sent to the floor by my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I conducted my own due diligence, including asking tough questions of Pete and I appreciated his candor and openness in answering them.”
Official statement
Interview
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was Thom Tillis wrong to vote to confirm Pete Hegseth?
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) cast the 50th vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on January 24, 2025, and Vice President JD Vance broke the 50-50 tie. Tillis said at the time that he had deferred to the Armed Services Committee and done his own due diligence, and in July 2025 he said he did not regret the vote based on what he knew then. In October 2026, promoting his book How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents, he called the vote the biggest regret of his career and said he made a mistake. Critics say he had reason to vote no before he voted, pointing to his call with Hegseth's former sister-in-law days before she signed an affidavit alleging alcohol abuse and mistreatment of his second wife, allegations Hegseth denied. The dispute is whether Tillis was wrong to vote yes on what he knew in January 2025.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Tillis's Senate office released this statement on the day of the confirmation vote. It sets out why he would vote yes.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Interview
About this source
In an interview with Fox News Digital a week after the vote, Tillis described his call with Danielle Hegseth and said he could not find anyone to corroborate her account.
Reporting
About this source
Stars and Stripes reported the committee's 14-13 vote to send the nomination to the Senate floor over Democratic objections, and the allegations Democrats cited against Hegseth: mismanagement of two veterans organizations, drinking at work and a 2017 sexual assault accusation.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
NBC News reported the contents of Danielle Hegseth's affidavit, which it reviewed in redacted form, along with denials from Samantha Hegseth and from Pete Hegseth's lawyer. The affidavit says she was assured that her statement would lead undecided senators to vote against the nomination.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Armed Services Committee had advanced the nomination 14-13 on January 20, and senators had received Danielle Hegseth's affidavit on January 21. Fox News reported that Tillis's decision was not disclosed until minutes before he voted.
After the quotation
The statement says "Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation." Tillis then voted yes, and Hegseth was confirmed after a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Tillis's January 2025 vote to confirm Hegseth, this is his own case for casting it: he says he deferred to the committee's favorable report, did his own due diligence and found Hegseth candid. That argues the vote was justified. Tillis later reversed this position, which is recorded as a separate statement.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Pete Hegseth
More from this case
Read the full caseTillis says he made a mistake in voting to confirm Hegseth
“I made a mistake. I’ve admitted that I made a mistake.”Read statement
Paige Masten says Tillis voted for Hegseth despite believing he was unfit
“That Tillis regrets voting for Hegseth is not a new revelation. But what is new — and startling — is just how convinced he was that Hegseth was unfit for the job before voting for him.”Read statement
Radley Balko calls Tillis a coward over his deciding vote for Hegseth
“Just a reminder: Tillis persuaded the woman Hegseth allegedly raped to come forward with her story, and told her that if she did, it would sink the nomination. She did. At great risk to herself. Tillis then cast the deciding vote for Hegseth. Because he’s a goddamned coward.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Tillis says he deferred to the committee and did his own due diligence before voting yes". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5637-on-the-day-of-the-vote-tillis-said