On Jan. 21, before the Senate took Hegseth's confirmation to a vote, his former sister-in-law came forward with new allegations against him, claiming in an affidavit submitted to the Senate that his second wife, Samantha, feared for her safety and made escape plans, allegedly going so far as to develop a code word that she could use to get help.

Vance had not been on the senate floor during the vote. It wasn't until three GOP senators voted against Hegseth's nomination that he made his way to the Capitol to cast the tie-breaking vote