Radley Balko
Role at the time: Journalist and author of The Watch newsletter, posting on Bluesky
Statement summary
Balko wrote that Tillis persuaded "the woman Hegseth allegedly raped" to come forward, told her that doing so would sink the nomination and then cast the deciding vote for Hegseth. He called Tillis "a goddamned coward."
“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.”
Balko posted this after Tillis's regret over the vote was reported. The post refers to the woman Tillis spoke with before the vote as the woman Hegseth allegedly raped; the reporting identifies that person as Danielle Hegseth, his former sister-in-law.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Relative to Tillis's January 2025 vote, Balko condemns it as cowardice and a betrayal of a witness he says Tillis encouraged. The post responds to Tillis's new regret but treats the vote itself as the wrong, so it condemns the vote rather than the regret. Its description of the witness is inaccurate, as the context notes; the target of the criticism is still clear.