President-elect Donald Trump expressed full confidence Friday in his pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he faced some skepticism from Republican senators concerned about a host of allegations against him.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said Hegseth is “doing very well” and that his “support is strong and deep,” noting that he is educated at Princeton and Harvard Universities and has a ” military state of mind’.
“He will be a fantastic, energetic Secretary of Defense,” Trump wrote, adding that Hegseth “will be someone who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Shortly afterwards, Vice President-elect, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, reiterated Trump’s support.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are fighting for Pete Hegseth,” Vance wrote to X. “And we are doing this because Pete Hegseth will fight for our troops. For too long, the Pentagon has been run by people who lose wars. Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars.”Earlier this week, Hegseth said Trump had encouraged him to “keep going, keep fighting.”
Trump’s full-throated endorsement of the former Fox News host to lead the Pentagon comes as at least a handful of Republican senators have still not committed to backing Hegseth, a Trump transition team official said.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for example, a survivor of sexual assault and the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate, has been noncommittal about Hegseth’s nomination, saying their meeting alone was “candid and thorough.”
Hegseth faced allegations of sexual assault, excessive alcohol consumption, infidelity and financial mismanagement in 2017. On Wednesday, he tried to put many accusations to rest in an interview with conservative host Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM radio show.
Hegseth said he did not rape a woman in 2017 who accused him of assaulting her, which is stated in a police report, although he has never been charged with a crime. He has said the meeting was consensual. Hegseth reached a secret settlement with the woman last year, which he said in the interview that he felt compelled to do because of his high profile.
Hegseth also told Kelly that he has “never had a drinking problem” and said he is “not going to have a drink at all” if confirmed as defense secretary.
Trump had secretly replaced Hegseth with others, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Ernst, who had recently gone to Mar-a-Lago. But Trump spoke to Hegseth by phone Thursday morning, according to Hegseth, who said the president-elect told him he is “completely behind us” and that he should move forward with the process.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
