Tillis calls his Hegseth vote his biggest career regret in new book

How does Tillis explain his Hegseth vote?

Tillis says he was skeptical of allegations about Hegseth’s management style, treatment of women and excessive drinking. Hegseth denied the allegations. Tillis writes that, after speaking with the White House, people who had worked with Hegseth and Hegseth himself, he could not corroborate the most serious claims.

That was Tillis’s account of his decision process, not an independent finding about the allegations. He says he then supported confirmation, even though he had reservations.

Tillis also describes political calculations. He says he did not want colleagues to leave him carrying responsibility for the nomination’s fate, and feared opposing Trump could cost him influence or leave him worse off if he lost. His explanation puts the pressure to stay aligned with a president alongside his stated judgment about whether the allegations had been substantiated.

The distinction matters: the Senate record captures the vote, while the book offers Tillis’s later account of why he cast it. The official Senate tally confirms that his yes vote contributed to the tie Vance broke. Tillis did not cast the final, deciding vote, but the result depended on the Senate’s evenly divided tally.

What does Tillis say about other Republicans?

Tillis writes that at least 30 Republican colleagues had privately expressed reservations about some of Trump’s actions while speaking more favorably in public. That is Tillis’s estimate; the AP report does not name the senators or independently verify the count.

The claim offers a broader view of the political dynamics Tillis describes, but it leaves the public record incomplete. His book does not identify which colleagues he means or specify what each did with those reservations before the Hegseth vote. Private doubts, as Tillis recounts them, are not the same as a public objection or a vote against confirmation.

For voters evaluating lawmakers who backed Hegseth, the relevant record includes how they voted and whether they made concerns public or sought answers before the decision. Tillis’s explanation supplies his rationale, but does not establish what actions other senators took or what evidence changed his own assessment afterward.

What has Tillis said about Hegseth since?

In a CBS interview published Oct. 4, Tillis criticized Hegseth’s performance and called for him to resign. He also said he supported Trump’s initial decision to enter the Iran war, distinguishing his criticism of Hegseth from opposition to that decision. The CBS transcript documents the interview.

The criticism shows Tillis’s current position on Hegseth, but the supplied account does not detail what later evidence or events led him to regret his confirmation vote. Nor does his admission itself amount to a reversal of the vote or establish that other senators have reconsidered their support.

The open question is whether lawmakers who supported Hegseth will explain their own decisions in public, including what information they weighed and whether their views changed. No congressional action resulting from Tillis’s admission has been reported.