Transition to the Trump
Transition of power
Trump’s transition
Prom
Hegseth is determined to continue pursuing his Pentagon nomination, despite uncertainty surrounding the votes. He stated that he will work hard to secure support as long as he is still chosen by President-elect Trump, although some Republican senators have expressed reservations about his previous actions.
Authored by Karoun Demirjian
Coverage from the government building
Pete Hegseth, the nominee selected by President-elect Donald J. Trump for secretary of defense, confidently stated on Thursday that he would work hard to secure the votes needed for confirmation. He aimed to address any worries among Republicans about his qualifications for the position and convince Mr. Trump to continue supporting him.
Republican backing for Mr. Hegseth’s campaign came to a halt this week due to new accusations that were brought to light. These allegations included instances of public intoxication, inappropriate behavior towards colleagues in the workplace, and mishandling of the veteran’s organizations he was involved with. In addition to these claims, it was also revealed that Mr. Hegseth had settled a lawsuit with a woman who accused him of sexual assault at a conference in 2017.
Some important Republican senators expressed concerns about the reports, while others did not make a firm decision, suggesting that Mr. Hegseth may not have enough support to be confirmed. There is also speculation that Mr. Trump is considering removing him from consideration altogether.
Despite facing challenges, Mr. Hegseth, a veteran and ex-Fox News host, has made a strong effort to make a comeback. He has held private meetings with important senators, brought his wife to Capitol Hill to improve his reputation, pledged to stop drinking if appointed as the secretary of defense, and presented himself as a reformed individual.
Mr. Hegseth stated that he has changed significantly over the years, and many Americans appreciate his redemption story. After meeting with senators privately all day on Thursday, he expressed his commitment to continue standing in the fight as long as Donald Trump wants him to be there.
There was uncertainty about how long it would take. After new allegations emerged, President Trump thought about replacing Mr. Hegseth with another well-known veteran like Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, Mr. Hegseth’s strong efforts to restore his reputation this week seem to have given him the opportunity to improve his standing with the president-elect.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the information in the article.
Kindly activate JavaScript in the settings of your browser.
We appreciate your patience as we confirm your access. If you are currently using Reader mode, please sign out and log in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Are you already a member? Please sign in.
Interested in receiving access to all the content from The Times? Simply
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation for site information