President-elect Donald Trump released a statement on Friday morning standing by his Secretary of Defense pick, Pete Hegseth, as legacy media reports critical of Hegseth’s credentials and past behavior have ramped up.
Hegseth has been meeting with senators on Capitol Hill and talking to reporters as an NBC News article circulated citing anonymous sources accusing the veteran of excessive consumption of alcohol and worrying his Fox News colleagues. Following the NBC News report, however, multiple colleagues of Hegseth spoke up and defended him. As questions mounted about Hegseth’s chance to be cleared by the Senate, Trump said he is standing by his nominee, adding that despite “Fake News” reports, Hegseth maintains strong support.
“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” Trump wrote. “He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Vice President-elect JD Vance added, “Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth. And we’re doing so because Pete Hegseth will fight for our troops. For too long, the Pentagon has been led by people who lose wars. Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars. We’ve got his back.”
Trump is doubling down on his support for Hegseth as legacy media reports cite unnamed Republican senators reportedly concerned about Hegseth’s nomination being shot down by the Senate. An unidentified senator spoke to The Hill in a report published on Thursday, saying, “I think most people do not expect Hegseth to make it. There’s seven or eight [Republican] votes against him. It’s a matter of time.” Other reports and unnamed GOP senators have floated Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as a replacement for Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
On Wednesday, Hegseth sat down with Megyn Kelly for his first interview since being tapped by Trump and responded to some of the claims made against him. He told Kelly that the NBC News story is a “smear” campaign against “someone who supports Donald Trump’s agenda.”
“They never asked those people,” Hegseth told Kelly. “And that’s what a smear looks like. It’s a couple anonymous nuggets, usually from disgruntled people who are fired for cause, who are jealous or want a little bit of retribution. And so they peddle stuff to reporters who are not interested in the truth, they’re interested in smearing someone who supports Donald Trump’s agenda. It’s really clear.”
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Hegseth added, “My meetings with (senators) have been fantastic. No one has looked me in the eye and said, ‘I have concerns and I can’t vote for you.’ In fact, most have said, let’s take a picture, and I’m behind you all the way. And that’s a reflection of Donald Trump and the strength of his election, but also the mandate to change something at the Defense Department. We’re not backing down one bit.”
The legacy media has also focused on a sexual assault allegation against Hegseth made by an unnamed woman in 2017. Authorities investigated the allegation and no charges were filed against Hegseth.
“It’s very simple,” Hegseth said of the sex assault allegation. “The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.”