Sen. Angus King joined Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday in voting against the nomination of former Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department of Defense.

Hegseth’s nomination was endorsed by the committee in a 14-13 party-line vote and now advances to the full Senate, where it is also likely to encounter a partisan divide. Republicans can only afford to lose three votes in order to confirm one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks.

While King was already able to cast a vote on Hegseth as a member of the committee, political observers continue to keep a close eye on Maine’s other senator, Sen. Susan Collins.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. Joe Gromelski/Special to the Sun Journal, file

Collins is among a small number of moderate Republicans who could be an influential vote. She has not yet said how she plans to vote on Hegseth’s nomination, and a spokesperson said Tuesday that she is still reviewing Hegseth’s committee hearing.

In a prepared statement, King, an independent, said he voted against Hegseth’s confirmation because he was concerned by the nominee’s answers to questions last week regarding the rules of international warfare and his qualifications for the job.

“What I heard – or failed to hear – on Tuesday is of great concern and would do great harm to America’s role in the world,” King said. “Mr. Hegseth failed to acknowledge that he would abide by the international laws of warfare, like the Geneva Conventions, which outlaws torture, something that the Senate sought to root out last decade.

“Nor did he explain how his spotty professional career in nonprofit management or broadcasting prepares him to run one of the largest and most complicated organizations in the world,” King said.

King focused his questioning of Hegseth before the committee last week on international warfare and the role of women in combat.

Democrats focused tough questions on statements Hegseth has made about women not belonging in combat and about accusations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and financial mismanagement during his time running veterans’ organizations. Republicans, meanwhile, defended Hegseth and praised his qualifications.

Hegseth told King last week that the humane treatment of prisoners and international rules are important, but he said the way wars are fought has changed over time and the rules aren’t always applicable.

“We fight enemies that play by no rules,” Hegseth said. “They use civilians as human shields. They target women and children. We don’t do that. We follow rules, but we don’t need burdensome rules of engagement that make it impossible for us to win these wars.”

King also noted that Hegseth declined to meet with minority members of the Armed Services Committee, as is customary.

And he said Hegseth “evaded an opportunity to clearly and directly support Ukraine in its fight against Putin’s illegal invasion — a response that (China’s) Xi Jinping and (North Korea’s) Kim Jung Un are watching closely as they wonder whether the United States would stand firm in defense of their allies.”