WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, spent a second day Tuesday on Capitol Hill, meeting privately with Republican senators amid growing questions about his ability to effectively lead the Pentagon.
Hegseth told reporters he plans to sit down with senators, even those potentially skeptical of his nomination.
“We’re going to meet with every senator who wants to meet with us, at every level,” Hegseth said as he went from office to office Tuesday. “And we appreciate their guidance throughout the counseling and advisory process.”
Trump chose the Fox News co-host, a former National Guard major and combat veteran deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, as defense secretary, typically among the first cabinet posts to be considered by the U.S. Senate for confirmation .
But Hegseth is facing questions amid a sexual assault allegation, which he has denied, and other emerging reports about his professional conduct and background.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the reports were “troubling.”
“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 the option to say it’s true or false.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he had seen the reports. “I will have the opportunity to speak to him and I am sure he will respond,” he said. “But my point of view is that we have to hold the hearing.”
Before being hired as the weekend host of “Fox & Friends,” Hegseth worked at two veterans advocacy 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 from his tenure as head of CVA that alleged multiple incidents of alcohol intoxication at professional events , inappropriate behavior towards female employees and financial mismanagement.
NBC News reported that several unnamed Fox employees and former 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 to four people who worked at CVA or knew of Hegseth’s time there and who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media or had signed signed non-disclosure agreements.
Although the group’s all-day conferences could run late and often ended at a nearby bar, three of the four said they had not seen Hegseth drunk at events.
A person connected to CVA, however, told the AP 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 the network of conservative nonprofits funded by billionaire donors Charles Koch. and his late brother, David Koch.
Trump draws from the ranks of loyalists to fill his administration and Cabinet positions, often stunning Washington with unusual and provocative choices and testing the senators who will be asked to confirm them in the advisory and advisory role. consent of the chamber.
One early choice, Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman, abruptly withdrew when it became clear that Senate support was collapsing. Gaetz, who had been investigated but never charged in a federal sex trafficking investigation, was the subject of a House ethics investigation for sexual misconduct .
Trump’s choices can only result in losing a few detractors in the Senate, where majority approval is required to be confirmed. Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the new year, meaning four GOP votes could defeat a candidate, if all Democrats oppose him.
Republican senators weighed their options.
If confirmed, Hegseth would not only be part of the critical command and control of the country’s nuclear weapons, but he would also be sixth in the line of succession to the presidency. It’s a position that ages its occupants and requires a constant response, due to the number of unexpected events in the middle of the night that can arise when U.S. service members are put in harm’s way.
There were private discussions among senators about the allegations and how to approach the situation, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.
In a closed-door meeting with a dozen senators Monday night, none asked Hegseth about the allegations against him.
“You know what? The American people care about restoring our military,” Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said after the meeting. He called the criticism of Hegseth “shameful.”
While Republican senators are reluctant to raise questions publicly — and several have rejected the reports outright — many of them have indicated he could face tough questions during a confirmation hearing.
“That’s what the process is for,” said Utah Rep. John Curtis, a freshman senator.
The questions surrounding Hegseth and the other candidates are “why a background check is important, why a committee investigation is essential,” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said after meeting with Hegseth on Monday that he was very supportive of the nomination.
But Tuberville said of the allegations: “If that’s the case to some extent, people are not going to vote to confirm it.” »
Hegseth, 44, was a co-host of the show “Fox and Friends Weekend” on Fox News Channel and had been a contributor to the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances 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 military and national security experience and would oversee global crises from Europe to the Middle East.
A woman told police she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a report detailed investigation recently made public.
Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
Associated Press writers Byron Tau and Kimberly Kindy and researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
