Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, signaled on Monday that she would not oppose Pete Hegseth’s bid for defense secretary, hinting at a turnabout after days of hectoring and threats by President-elect Donald J. Trump’s hard-right supporters who threatened political retribution if she failed to fall into line.
Only days after emerging from a private meeting with Mr. Hegseth sounding unconvinced about his fitness to lead the Pentagon, Ms. Ernst, the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate and a survivor of sexual assault, indicated that a second sit-down had allayed her concerns.
