Pete Hegseth, President-Elect Donald Trump chosen to be secretary of defense, spent a second day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, meeting privately with Republican senators amid growing questions about his ability to effectively run the Pentagon.
Hegseth he told reporters that he plans to sit down with senators, even those who are potentially skeptical his nomination.
“We’re going to meet with every senator who wants to meet with us, across the board,” Hegseth said as he went from office to office on Tuesday. “And we welcome their advice as we go through the consultation and consultation process.”
Trump touched Fox The News co-anchor, a former National Guard major and combat veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, as his secretary of defense, is usually among the first cabinet positions considered for confirmation by the US Senate.
But Hegseth runs into questions in the middle allegations of sexual assaultwhich he has denied, and other new reports about his work behavior and history.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the reports were “disturbing.”
“I want to make sure that every young woman who joins the military feels respected and welcomed,” Graham told CBS News.
The South Carolina lawmaker later told the AP he didn’t know whether to believe the allegations, and Hegseth “has an opportunity to say it’s true or it’s not true.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he had seen the reports. “I’ll have a chance to talk to him and I’m sure he’ll reach out to them,” he said. “But it’s my opinion, listen.”
Before being tapped to host the weekend show “Fox & Friends,” Hegseth worked for two veterans groups, Concerned Veterans for America and Veterans for Freedom.
In new allegations this week, the New Yorker cited what it described as a whistleblower report and other documents about his time running CVA, which cited multiple incidents of drinking at work events, inappropriate behavior around female employees and financial mismanagement.
NBC News reported that several unnamed current and former Fox employees who worked with Hegseth raised concerns about his drinking habits, including some who said he would show up smelling of alcohol.
The Associated Press spoke with four people who either worked at CVA or were familiar with Hegseth’s time there, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media or signed a nondisclosure agreement.
Although the group’s all-day conferences have been known to run late and often end up at a nearby bar, three out of four said they have not seen Hegseth drunk at the events.
One person with ties to CVA told the AP, however, that some employees had raised concerns about Hegseth’s drinking, but said his departure from the group had more to do with growing ideological differences between him and a network of conservative nonprofits that funded by billionaire donors Charles Koch and his late brother David Koch.
Trump has drawn from loyalists to fill his administration and cabinet positions, often stunning Washington with unusual choices that are provocative and test senators who will be asked to confirm them in the House. the role of counseling and consent.
early choice, Matt Gaetza former congressman from Florida, abruptly withdrew from consideration when it became clear that Senate support was collapsing. Gaetz, who was investigated but never charged federally sex trafficking investigationconfronted with domestic ethics investigation for sexual misconduct.
Trump’s election can only afford to lose a few detractors in the Senate, where he needs a majority to confirm. Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the new year, meaning four GOP votes could sink the nominee if all Democrats are against it.
Republican senators weighed their options.
If confirmed, Hegseth would not only be part of key command and control of the nation’s nuclear weapons, but would also be sixth in the line of presidential succession. It’s a position that ages its personnel and requires constant responsiveness, due to the many unforeseen events in the middle of the night that can occur when American soldiers are put in harm’s way.
There have been private discussions among senators about the allegations and how to approach the situation, according to one person who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
During a closed-door meeting with about a dozen senators late Monday night, no one asked Hegseth about the allegations against him.
“You know what? The American people care about rebuilding our military,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said after the meeting. He called the criticism of Hegseth “shameful.”
While Republican senators have been reluctant to raise questions publicly — and several have dismissed the reports entirely — many have indicated he could face tough questions at his confirmation hearing.
“That’s what this process is for,” said John Curtis, the new senator from Utah.
The questions about Hegseth and the other candidates are “why background checks are important, why the committee’s investigation is critical,” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said after meeting Monday with Hegseth that he strongly supports the nomination.
But Tuberville said of the charges, “If it’s up to a certain degree, people won’t vote to confirm it.”
Hegseth, 44, co-hosted Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and had been a contributor to the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who appeared regularly on the show.
Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deployed to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earned two Bronze Stars. He lacks more military and national security experience and would oversee global crises ranging from Europe to the Middle East.
woman told the police that she had been sexually assaulted in 2017 from Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a hotel room in California and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report released recently.
Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
