Washington — President-elect Donald Trump’s alternative to guide the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, is exhibiting defiance amid misconduct allegations as assist for his affirmation gave the impression to be doubtful. There are actually a number of candidates into consideration to exchange him as Trump’s supposed nominee, sources aware of the transition inform CBS Information, amongst them, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.
However the embattled former Fox Information host on Wednesday pushed again on studies that Trump is contemplating different candidates for protection secretary. On Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning, as he continued to go to Republican members of Congress, Hegseth instructed CBS Information that he doesn’t intend to withdraw his title from consideration. He additionally stated he spoke with Trump Wednesday morning, and the president-elect inspired him to maintain combating.
“I spoke to the president-elect this morning. He stated, ‘Maintain going, preserve combating. I am behind you all the way in which,'” Hegseth stated. “Why would I again down? I’ve at all times been a fighter. I am right here for the fighters. That is private and passionate for me.”
In an interview with conservative commentator Megyn Kelly on Wednesday, Hegseth stated he had spoken with Trump earlier within the day and that the incoming president had instructed him, “I’ve acquired your again.” On studies of the likelihood that DeSantis might change him as protection chief nominee, he instructed Kelly, “It is all of the president’s alternative. I spoke to the president this morning. He stated, I am his man.”
Regardless of the acrimony between DeSantis and Trump through the main marketing campaign, the Florida governor is within the job, in line with two sources aware of DeSantis’ considering. His second and closing time period as governor ends in January 2027. Trump has already introduced a sequence of Cupboard nominees who hail from Florida, together with Sen. Marco Rubio, for secretary of state. Though serving as protection secretary would pose some political danger, DeSantis believes it will place him nicely for a presidential run in 2028, the supply stated.
Hegseth, a former “Fox & Buddies” weekend co-host and Military veteran, has been assembly with Senate Republicans in latest weeks to construct assist for his affirmation. However studies in latest days that detailed alleged sexual misconduct, monetary mismanagement at veterans’ charities, repeated intoxication and infidelity gave the impression to be softening his assist. Some Senate Republicans have referred to as the allegations “disturbing” and stated they got here as a shock.
Nonetheless, Hegseth on Wednesday instructed reporters on the Capitol his conferences with Senate Republicans have been “a beautiful course of.” In his interview with Kelly, Hegseth stated, “Nobody has seemed me within the eye and stated, ‘I’ve issues and I am unable to vote for you.’ In actual fact, most have stated, ‘Let’s take an image, and I am behind you all the way in which.”
Hegseth additionally defended himself in an opinion piece within the Wall Road Journal Wednesday. Amid studies about his removing as the pinnacle of a veterans’ charity over allegations of economic mismanagement, intoxication, sexual misconduct and fostering a poisonous work local weather, Hegseth wrote of his work for that group, Involved Veterans for America.
“We fought entrenched pursuits and mobilized veterans and patriotic Individuals throughout the nation,” he stated, denying studies of any misconduct and accusing the media of publishing falsehoods.
“We had lots of of staff and 1000’s of volunteers—but primarily based on the nameless accusations of some disgruntled staff, the legacy media has made it sound as if we ran a university frat home,” he wrote. “That is simply unfaithful.”
Hegseth additionally stated that he left CVA over “an inner distinction of opinion about its future. I wished to interact in international coverage; our donors did not.” And he added that the group’s management “wrote me a glowing letter after I left.”
In his interview with Kelly, Hegseth addressed the sexual assault allegation that emerged in late November. He responded “completely not” when requested if he had raped a girl in a Monterey, California, resort in 2017. He admitted that it will have as soon as been a good characterization to name him a “serial cheater” however says he has modified. “I’ll have been consuming, however I used to be cognizant sufficient to recollect each single element. And I am not right here to say that my conduct was good,” he stated. “Being in a resort room with somebody that is not the individual you are with just isn’t OK. I come clean with that, and I’ve needed to come clean with that, and that is been tough.”
He stated he paid his accuser “as a result of I needed to — or at the least I assumed I did on the time.” He defined that he was newly married, was into consideration for a task within the first Trump administration and wished to guard his household and his Fox Information job.
He additionally responded to reporting by NBC Information that cited present and former Fox Information staff who stated that “on greater than a dozen events” whereas Hegseth was a “Fox & Buddies Weekend” co-host, “they smelled alcohol on him earlier than he went to air,” and appeared on TV “after they’d heard him speak about being hungover as he was preparing or on set.” The report stated “[t]hree present staff stated his consuming remained a priority up till Trump introduced him as his option to run the Pentagon, at which level Hegseth left Fox.”
However within the op-ed, Hegseth didn’t straight tackle allegations about his alcohol consumption. “I have been at Fox Information—the place I noticed my work as a continuation of my mission to struggle for America. Once more, the legacy press has used nameless sources to attempt to discredit even that,” and he referred readers to his X feed for statements of assist from skilled colleagues. He did inform Kelly, “I’ve by no means had a consuming drawback.”
North Dakota GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer is scheduled to satisfy with Hegseth Wednesday afternoon and instructed reporters earlier within the day, “The allegations are very, very severe. They can not be trivialized. And I simply need to know that, that he is redeemed, and going ahead, he’ll be higher.”
Cramer additionally added, “I believe the temper of the convention is likely one of the fairly severe, actually, actually severe about it, and severe about how this stuff have an effect on his potential to do the job, the power of the troops to look as much as him.”
He advised the Republican convention was expecting indicators from the Trump transition workforce about Hegseth.
“There’s the temper of the convention, after which there’s the temper of the Trump transition workforce itself,” he stated. “So we’ll see what sort of messages and indicators we hear all through the course of the day. As you’ll be able to inform, this stuff have been breaking fairly quick and livid.”
Cramer stated of Ernst that she can be “simple to substantiate, and I believe she’d be nice,” and in reality, “if she wished it, she’d be my first choose.”
“I’ve by no means backed down from a struggle and will not again down from this one,” Hegseth wrote, including, “I look ahead to an sincere affirmation listening to with our distinguished senators—not a present trial within the press.”
Hegseth has continued to satisfy with the Republican senators who will weigh in on his nomination. However one distinguished Republican, Sen. Josh Hawley, instructed reporters Wednesday afternoon that Hegseth canceled their upcoming assembly.
“I used to be supposed to sit down down with him tomorrow, however they canceled that assembly,” Hawley stated.
“I do not know the place issues stand in the mean time,” he stated of Hegseth’s anticipated nomination and added, “It isn’t 100% clear to me who [Trump] desires as secretary of protection proper now.”
Hegseth instructed Kelly he deliberate to maintain assembly with senators to earn their assist, however he acknowledged that there is a chance he will not be confirmed. “That is the president’s name,” he stated when requested whether or not he would withdraw from the method.
Jim Defede, Cristina Corujo contributed to this report.
,
Nikole Killion and
contributed to this report.
