Donald Trump’s pick to become defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, appears to be moving closer to securing enough votes to be confirmed in the Senate after Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa announced she would back Hegseth. Ernst is a veteran and survivor of sexual assault who had initially expressed skepticism over Hegseth. She reversed her opposition after she was targeted with a $500,000+ ad campaign in Iowa against her critical comments ahead of Hegseth’s confirmation hearings. His confirmation can only be rejected if three or more Republicans join Democrats in opposing the former Fox News host, who once served in the Army National Guard.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Senate Democrats grilled Hegseth on a number of issues, including his criticism of women in combat, allegations that he raped a woman in 2017, reports of public drunkenness and his record running two veterans organizations where he was accused of financial mismanagement. In an exchange with Maine independent Senator Angus King, Hegseth was unable to say whether he would abide by the international laws of warfare.

Sen. Angus King: “Are we going to abide by the Geneva Convention and the prohibitions on torture, or are we not? Is it going to” —

Pete Hegseth: “Senator, as I’ve” —

Sen. Angus King: — “depend on the circumstances?”

Pete Hegseth: “As I’ve stated multiple times, the Geneva Conventions are what we base ours. But we’re — what an America First national security policy is not going to do is hand its prerogatives over to international bodies that make decisions about how our men and women make decisions on the battlefield.”

We’ll have more on Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearings after headlines.