麥康奈爾反對赫格斯提名，顯示與特朗普的分歧
前參議院共和黨領袖米奇·麥康奈爾（R-Ky.）在周五晚間成為頭條新聞，當時他出人意料地投票反對總統唐納德·特朗普有爭議的國防部長提名人皮特·赫格斯，迫使副總統JD·萬斯打破50-50的平局，以確認赫格斯的提名。麥康奈爾去年辭去了領導職務，與共和黨參議員麗莎·穆爾科斯基（R-Alaska）和蘇珊·柯林斯（R-Maine）一起反對赫格斯，這標誌著他與特朗普的罕見分歧，並表明麥康奈爾願意在國家安全問題上挑戰總統。
在一份冗長的聲明中，麥康奈爾對赫格斯的資格表示深切擔憂，特別是他管理五角大樓每年1萬億美元預算和近300萬軍人和文職人員的能力。麥康奈爾強調了這一角色的重要性，指出國防部長面臨著「對美國人民和我們全球利益的日常考驗，其後果極為嚴重」。他批評赫格斯未能闡明清晰的戰略願景，特別是在應對來自中國、俄羅斯和伊朗的威脅方面，並且缺乏保衛美國盟友如台灣和菲律賓的實質性計劃。
赫格斯是前福克斯新聞主持人和戰鬥老兵，在確認過程中面臨了重大審查，包括性行為不端、過度飲酒和財務管理不善的指控。赫格斯否認了這些指控，稱其為政治動機，並承諾如果獲得確認將戒酒。儘管存在這些爭議，赫格斯的提名仍然獲得通過，麥康奈爾的反對突顯了這位前參議院領袖與特朗普之間的持續緊張關係。
麥康奈爾對赫格斯的反對票表明了他對強有力的國家安全立場的承諾，即使在他與特朗普的緊張關係中也是如此。這位肯塔基州參議員一直是美國繼續支持烏克蘭的堅定倡導者，並對共和黨內一些孤立主義傾向進行了反擊。他對赫格斯的反對雖然出人意料，但與他更廣泛的外交政策世界觀一致，該世界觀優先考慮維持美國的全球領導地位和軍事實力。
儘管麥康奈爾反對，赫格斯的確認仍然反映了特朗普在共和黨內的持久影響力。然而，麥康奈爾決定打破陣營，提醒人們他仍然是參議院中的一位重要人物，願意利用他的投票來堅持自己的原則，即使冒著疏遠前總統的風險。隨著赫格斯上任，麥康奈爾承諾將與他合作「恢復美國的硬實力」，這表明儘管存在分歧，他仍採取務實的治理方式。
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