WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent a second day Tuesday on Capitol Hill…
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spent a second day Tuesday on Capitol Hill, meeting privately with Republican senators amid rising questions about his ability to effectively lead the Pentagon.
Hegseth told reporters he was planning to sit down with senators, even with those potentially skeptical of his nomination.
“We’re gonna meet with every senator that wants to meet with us, across the board,” Hegseth as he went from office to office Tuesday. “And we welcome their advice as we go through the advice and counsel process.”
Trump tapped the Fox News co-host, who had served in the Army National Guard, as his Secretary of Defense, typically among the first Cabinet posts to be considered by the U.S. Senate for confirmation.
But Hegseth is running into questions amid a sexual assault allegation, which he has denied, and other emerging reports about his work conduct and history.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the reports are “disturbing.”
“I want to make sure that every young woman that joins the military feels respected and welcomed,” Graham told CBS News.
The South Carolina lawmaker told the AP later that he doesn’t know whether to believe the allegations, and Hegseth “has a chance to say that’s true or not true.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he’s seen the reports. “I’ll get the chance to talk to him, and I’m sure he’ll address them,” he said.
