Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick for Pentagon chief, is fighting to maintain his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions about his personal conduct as the president-elect's team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The one selected by Donald Trump for the Pentagon, Pete Hegsethwas fighting to maintain his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect's team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump's transition team was increasingly concerned about Hegseth's path to Senate confirmation and was actively seeking potential replacements, a person familiar with the matter said. Hegseth is under pressure as senators weigh a series of allegations that have emerged against him.
DeSantis, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is being discussed as a possible replacement if Hegseth's nomination does not advance, according to three other people familiar with the matter. They were not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hegseth said he spoke with Trump on Wednesday morning and received a new message of support. “He said, 'Keep going, keep fighting. I'll support you until the end,'” Hegseth told a CBS News reporter as he walked through the Capitol.
Trump's transition team had no immediate comment. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night was the first to report that Trump was considering DeSantis.
Hegseth shared a series of messages of support from others on social media and a post of his own in which he said he would not “back down.”
“I'm doing this for the fighters, not the warmongers. The left fears disruptors and agents of change,” he wrote.
He blamed the rejection on fear of him and Trump, saying: “That's why they smear with false, anonymous sources and garbage stories. They don't want the truth. Our warriors never back down, and I won't either.”
Previously, Hegseth's mother appeared on Fox News to address the multiple allegations that have surfaced in the media regarding Hegseth's alcohol intoxication at work events, sexual misconduct and possible financial mismanagement.
Penelope Hegseth, on “Fox & Friends,” spoke about her son and a 2018 email she wrote to him, obtained by The New York Times, in which she confronted him about mistreating women after he got his wife pregnant. current while married to his second wife.
That letter followed multiple accusations, reported by the New Yorker this week, of questionable conduct surrounding female employees. Hegseth was also accused of sexual assault in 2017, which Hegseth told California police at the time was a consensual encounter and has denied any wrongdoing.
Hegseth has never held a military or civilian leadership role in the Pentagon, but his mother said his time as a Fox News host and the pressure of that role were good preparation for leading the Defense Department.
He acknowledged that the allegations against his son have become a distraction and have raised concerns among some Republican senators.
On Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said some of the reports were “disturbing” and told CBS News that he wants to “make sure every young woman who joins the Military feels respected and welcomed.” .
Penelope Hegseth implored lawmakers to listen to her son and give him a chance.
“I think it can be overcome,” Penelope Hegseth said. Hegseth is a former Fox News host and former Army National Guard major and combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. If confirmed by the Senate, he would lead an Army of 2 million members, more than 17% of whom are women.