WASHINGTON — Recent statements from Republicans suggest President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Defense Department could have trouble getting confirmed by the Senate as more information emerges about allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct.
Trump said he would tap Army veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon in one of several unconventional picks that have set up a showdown between Trump, members of his party and the U.S. Senate, which has a constitutional role in confirming Cabinet officials.
The concerns about Hegseth include a 2017 sexual assault allegation and allegations of sexual misconduct plus financial mismanagement at two veterans nonprofits Hegseth led. On Tuesday, NBC News reported that some of Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues smelled alcohol on his breath at work or heard him talk about having a hangover.
“I have some very real concerns about some of what’s come out recently and I want to ask him about that,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told HuffPost on Wednesday, adding that she plans to meet with Hegseth next week.
Hegseth issued a broad denial of the various allegations on Wednesday.
“The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents,” he wrote on social media. “So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.”
Several other GOP senators would not commit to supporting Hegseth, adding that they want to hear more from the nominee, who attended meetings with lawmakers at the Capitol on Wednesday.
“We talked about all the public concerns and I think he’s still in the process of answering some of those questions,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told reporters after meeting with Hegseth this week.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) told HuffPost she’s meeting with Hegseth next week and mentioned her interest in hearing his explanation for the allegations.
“I look forward to exploring his qualifications, his vision for the department, and these new allegations against him,” Lummis said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), meanwhile, said his planned meeting with Hegseth for Thursday was canceled without explanation. “I’m available whenever,” he said.
Since every member of the Senate Democratic caucus is expected to oppose his bid, Hegseth can afford to lose no more than three GOP senators in next year’s Congress when Republicans will control the upper chamber with a narrow 53-47 majority. As many as six GOP senators currently have concerns with his nomination, according to NBC News.
Though no senators have outrightly said they won’t vote for Hegseth, the tone of their statements is less than enthusiastic and echoes their remarks about former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a Trump pick who withdrew from consideration for attorney general last month rather than face a doomed vote. Gaetz denied allegations he’d had sex with a 17-year-old while he was a member of Congress.
Hegseth is expected to respond to the allegations against him during a Fox News interview on Wednesday. His mother, Penelope Hegseth, also appeared on the conservative network earlier in the day and defended her son following the publication of a 2018 email in which she accused him of mistreating women.
“I just hope people will get to know who Pete is today, especially our dear female senators,” she said, calling her son “a changed man.”
Trump is reportedly now considering alternates for Hegseth, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), both of whom have military experience. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the job and has expressed interest in it in the past.
Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, told CNN Tuesday that she would have a “really frank and thorough conversation” with Hegseth about his nomination.
