Ana Navarro tells Tillis he voted for nominees his book calls unqualified
Ana NavarroCo-host of ABC's The View, speaking to Tillis on air
On ABC's The View, co-host Ana Navarro told Tillis his book was inconsistent because it lays out why Hegseth and Kristi Noem were unqualified, yet he voted for them.
“I feel you were very inconsistent in this book because, on the one hand, you go through all of the reasons why Hegseth was unqualified. You go through all of the reasons why [Kristi] Noem was unqualified. You kept calling her like an unqualified dog killer, and yet you voted for them.”
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
Reporting
About this source
TheWrap reported co-host Ana Navarro's on-air exchange with Tillis when he appeared on ABC's The View to promote his book.
Before the quotation
Tillis appeared on The View to promote his book. According to TheWrap, Navarro told him "I like you, and I think you say a lot of of truth, but you kind of break my heart" before turning to his votes.
After the quotation
TheWrap reports that Tillis conceded the point and said both sentiments remain true. Navarro then cited his recent vote to confirm Todd Blanche, saying: "So you know you're voting for people who are rubber stamped and unqualified, but you keep doing it, Thom!"
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, Navarro criticizes him for voting to confirm Hegseth despite the reasons he himself gives for thinking Hegseth was unqualified. That condemns the vote. Her point that he keeps casting such votes widens the criticism to a pattern; it does not soften it.
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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. "Ana Navarro tells Tillis he voted for nominees his book calls unqualified". First published: 2026-10-13. Last updated: 2026-10-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/5641-on-abc-s-the-view-co-host-ana