Senate Republicans are steamrolling ahead on Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon, and a new report detailing allegations of abusive behavior by the nominee have seemingly not dissuaded them. The Senate is set to hold an initial procedural vote on the nomination Thursday, even as Democrats attempt to delay final passage. Shortly after news broke of the claims, which were included in a sworn affidavit from Hegseth’s ex-sister-in-law, Democrats also slammed the brakes on President Trump’s other nominees, including John Ratcliffe, his choice to lead the CIA. But Republicans appear to have the votes to confirm Hegseth and the others. “I think it’s a stretch. I think it looks desperate. I think it probably helps Pete a little bit if the best they can do is not even the sister of the ex-wife, but the ex-wife of a brother,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which advanced Hegseth to a floor vote along party lines on Monday.  “Third party, hearsay — all the while it’s not validated by the actual ex-wife. It looks like everything else up to this point: like a smear campaign,” Cramer continued, adding he was “a little bit surprised” by how Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the top Democrat on the panel, handled the affidavit.  The affidavit from Danielle Hegseth, who was previously married to Pete Hegseth’s brother, dropped as the clock continues to wind down on Hegseth’s nomination, which has been a roller coaster ever since he was tapped for the job more than two months ago. After appearing in deep trouble in early December, Hegseth righted the ship and appears to be on a glide path to confirmation — even with the new accusations.  Danielle Hegseth claims that the Pentagon nominee was abusive toward his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, to the point where she hid in a closet at times and developed a plan in case she “needed to get away” from him.  Samantha Hegseth denied the claims in an email to NBC News, saying “I do not believe your information to be accurate.” Pete Hegseth seemingly has at least the 50 votes he needs to get across the finish line. Two potential swing votes in the GOP conference — Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) — both announced last week they will vote for him, culling the potential “no” crowd. Young told The Hill on Wednesday that he planned to read the unredacted affidavit but declined any further comment on the situation until he did so.  Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), meanwhile, have all stayed mum on whether they will back Hegseth on the floor, with the news making their paths to supporting Hegseth tougher. Collins told reporters that she was trying to get more information on the situation, adding that it was “troubling” that the affidavit’s claims were not included in Hegseth’s FBI background check.  Murkowski said she is “troubled” by Hegseth’s nomination and indicated Danielle Hegseth’s claims will play a role in her decision.  “I factor all that I have received, whether in person or in follow-on conversations,” Murkowski said. “I factor all that into my calculus when I make these decisions.” McConnell told CNN that he didn’t “have any announcements to make” when asked about Hegseth.  Even if all three of them oppose the nomination, Hegseth can still get confirmed. Top Senate Republicans have made clear since November that their plan is to move as quickly as possible to put Trump’s Cabinet in place, starting with his national security team.  The chamber approved Marco Rubio to lead the State Department hours after Trump’s inauguration, and Republicans were hopeful to move on Ratcliffe a day later. Those plans were scuttled in part because of the Hegseth affidavit, and Democrats objected to a time agreement.  This led to warnings from Senate Republicans, including from a visibly frustrated Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who told his colleagues not to make any weekend plans as votes on Hegseth and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Homeland Security, are planned.  “Do we want to vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that’s what we’re going to do. This can be easy or this can be hard,” Thune said. “Everything we’re doing right now is just stalling, and I don’t know what that accomplishes for you.”  A vote to confirm Ratcliffe is set for Thursday. The first tally on Hegseth is expected immediately after.  In the meantime, Republicans are coming to Hegseth’s defense. “A complete fabrication,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), an Armed Services Committee member, after reading the unredacted affidavit, calling the allegations “shocking.”  “Everybody in their family are saying she was very vindictive toward Pete,” he continued. “At the end of the day, it’s a Hail Mary at the end, and they’re not going to stop this.” Republicans throughout the Hegseth battle have decried anonymous reports that have emerged, including a 2017 allegation of sexual assault that was unknown to President Trump’s transition team when he was nominated. Hegseth has denied wrongdoing.  But as Democrats are quick to note, the latest allegations are directly from his ex-sister-in-law and were made under the penalty of perjury.  “I don’t understand how any Republican in the Senate can stand behind the Hegseth nomination,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an Armed Services member. “The Republicans have to face that they have a candidate who could never get a promotion in the military, and yet they’re looking at putting him in charge of the whole operation.”  Nevertheless, GOP members dismissed the claims and echoed a statement from Hegseth’s lawyer that portrayed Danielle Hegseth as an ex-family member with an “axe to grind.”  “It’s such a loose source. It’s such a disconnected source,” Cramer said of Danielle Hegseth. “It doesn’t have much credibility.”