President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, says he is still fighting to win Senate confirmation.
Pete Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department, said Wednesday that he is still fighting for Senate confirmation, although some media outlets say he is still fighting for Senate confirmation. Tump is considering appointing someone else.
The nomination of Hegseth, a 44-year-old decorated military officer and Fox News talk show host, to lead the Pentagon has run into hurdles in the Senate, which must confirm his nomination as he faces questions about sexual misconduct allegations. and excessive alcohol consumption.
With no background in managing a large organization, whether in the military or corporate world, Hegseth is an unconventional choice to oversee the country's nearly 2.9 million active-duty and reserve troops around the world, along with another 700,000 civilians working for the army.
But Hegseth said he is not backing down, even though several US media outlets say Trump is reconsidering the appointment, possibly in favor of the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a former military officer. DeSantis is a Navy veteran who ran unsuccessfully against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before withdrawing in January.
On the social media platform They defame with false, anonymous sources and garbage stories. They don't want the truth. Our warriors never back down, and neither will I.”
At the U.S. Capitol, as he headed to meet with senators who had to decide whether to confirm him, Hegseth told reporters: “This morning I spoke with the president-elect. He told me: 'Keep going, keep fighting. I will support them until the end.' Why would I turn back?”
NBC News reported Tuesday that 10 current and former Fox employees told the network that Hegseth's coworkers at Fox had been concerned about his alcohol use, including occasions when he showed up to work smelling of alcohol and talking about having a hangover. Other news accounts have raised questions about Hegseth's partying and drinking at the veterans groups he supervised.
Hegseth also faces questions about a 2017 encounter at a Republican women's conference in California, where a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her after drinking heavily. He told police investigating his claim that the encounter was consensual and no charges were filed.
However, a couple of years later, Hegseth paid the woman an undisclosed amount to prevent her from filing a lawsuit that Hegseth feared would get him fired from his weekend show on Fox.
A Trump ally, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, on Tuesday called the allegations against Hegseth “very disturbing” and said some of them “are going to be difficult” for some senators considering his nomination.
South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, the next Senate majority leader, said Hegseth must address the disturbing allegations he faces.
“Tough questions are being asked, so you're going to have to answer them,” Thune said.
Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate in January, meaning Hegseth can lose the support of no more than three Republicans, with Vice President-elect JD Vance casting the deciding vote if necessary. Hegseth is unlikely to gain any Democratic support.
In other presidential transition news, Trump on Wednesday named Peter Navarro, a former trade adviser in his first term in the White House, as his top adviser for trade and manufacturing when he takes office on January 20.
Navarro served four months in prison earlier this year for defying a congressional subpoena investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, when about 2,000 Trump supporters tried to stop lawmakers from certifying that Trump had lost. the 2020 elections against Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump described Navarro, 75, as “a man who was treated horribly by the deep state, or whatever you want to call it.”
The president-elect also named Daniel Driscoll, a former soldier and Iraq War veteran, as secretary of the Army. Additionally, Trump plans to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees stock markets and investments.
Trump on Wednesday also announced his choice of former Missouri congressman Billy Long to lead the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the Missouri Independent newspaper website, Long represented his southwest Missouri district in Congress for six terms. The retired auctioneer and conservative radio show host first ran in 2010.
Long attended the University of Missouri, although he does not have a college degree, according to Ballotpedia.org.
“Since leaving Congress, Billy has worked as a business and tax advisor, helping small businesses navigate the complexities of complying with IRS rules and regulations…He is an extremely hard worker and respected by everyone, especially those who know him in Congress,” Trump said of Long in his Truth Social announcement.
Trump has also tapped former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration.
“Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce bureaucracy and create opportunities for our small businesses to grow, innovate and prosper,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday. “He will focus on ensuring the SBA is accountable to taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud and regulatory overreach.”
The New York Times describes Loeffler as a “major donor” to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. The newspaper's website says she has “little experience in public service.” He received an appointment to the United States Senate in 2020 by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. She was defeated in a special election in January 2021 by Reverend Raphael Warnock.
Loeffler, who is serving on Trump's inaugural committee, also supported Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump also announced Wednesday his selection of former Missouri congressman Billy Long to lead the Internal Revenue Service, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration and Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano to lead the U.S. Administration. Social security.
So far, two of Trump's choices for high-level positions — Chad Chronister to head the DEA and Matt Gaetz for U.S. attorney general — have dropped out of the race.