With Republican senators privately indicating they would not support the nomination of Pete Hegseth to become President Trump’s defense secretary, Trump reportedly spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about the job.
According to ABC News, at least six GOP senators signaled resistance against confirming Hegseth over allegations that include sexual assault and excessive drinking.
6 REPUBLICAN SENATORS WHO ARE WAVERING ON PETE HEGSETH.
Susan Collins
Lisa Murkowski
John Curtis
Lindsey Graham
Mitch McConnell
Joni ErnstAnd there are 3 others who have not committed.
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 4, 2024
Per ABC News:
Multiple sources also tell ABC News that Trump and Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke about the job Tuesday and DeSantis expressed interest in it.
Hegseth is due to meet with Ernst on Wednesday afternoon.
His mother, Penelope Hegseth, offered a defense of her son on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday morning.
Hegseth’s mother sent an email to her son in 2018 amid his divorce in which she wrote that he was an “abuser of women.” The email was reported by the New York Times. ABC News has not independently obtained the email.
ADVERTISEMENTPenelope Hegseth on Wednesday said her son was a “changed” man and that the email was written in “haste” during a “very emotional time.” She said that she “retracted it with an apology email” just hours after she sent it, and that her and her son are “very close today.”
She also noted the allegations against Hegseth were from several years ago and claimed “most of it” is “misinformation” — while repeatedly stressing that her son is a now different man who has been “redeemed” and “forgiven.”
Trump considers replacing Pete Hegseth with Ron DeSantis as Defense secretary pick: report https://t.co/tIGepRuqe3 pic.twitter.com/7PEA2fa3zU
— New York Post (@nypost) December 4, 2024
“I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers. The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth. Our warriors never back down, & neither will I,” Hegseth said.
I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers.
The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.
Our warriors never back down, & neither will I. pic.twitter.com/nDQ5aUlv7i
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 4, 2024
Fox News reports:
The popular conservative governor, a Navy veteran who served in the Iraq War, was re-elected in a landslide in 2022 but is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026.
DeSantis is “very much” in contention to replace Hegseth, multiple sources told Fox News.
One source added that it was the president-elect himself who floated the governor’s name, and that Trump and DeSantis discussed the idea as they met Tuesday while appearing together in Florida at a memorial service for fallen law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County.
The reporting from Fox News and other organizations comes as Hegseth on Wednesday returns to Capitol Hill to continue meeting with Republican senators as he makes his case for confirmation as defense secretary.
ADVERTISEMENT
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!