(Bloomberg) -- Pete Hegseth said President-elect Donald Trump urged him to “keep fighting” in his quest to become the next secretary of Defense, as a key meeting appeared to bolster his path to confirmation.
“The left is trying to turn this into a trial in the media, a show trial, and we’re not going to let that happen,” Hegseth said in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News Monday night. “This is not a trivial process.”
Hegseth, who until recently was himself a host on the network, has been meeting with senators to bolster his support in the wake of allegations over sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and the mismanagement of veterans organizations.
He met with Senator Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, earlier Monday, and said he plans to meet with Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Tuesday and Senator Susan Collins of Maine on Wednesday.
Ernst is a key figure who has been floated as a potential alternate candidate, while Murkowski and Collins are moderates whose support would all but quell any doubt about confirmation. Trump’s team has also considered Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, one of the president-elect’s 2024 primary rivals, as a replacement candidate.
Earlier: Key Republican Ernst Bolsters Hegseth Defense Nomination
Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, secured crucial public backing from Trump when the president-elect said he still had his support and that he was confident he could secure confirmation.
“It looks like Pete is doing well now,” Trump said in the interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press broadcast on Sunday. “People were a little bit concerned. He’s a young guy, with a tremendous track record actually.”
Hegseth said in the Fox News interview Monday night that Trump “called me and said ‘Pete, you keep fighting.’”
After meeting with Hegseth on Monday, Ernst released a statement saying their conversations were “encouraging” and that she would “support Pete through this process” and looked forward to a “fair” confirmation hearing.
Her statement Monday fell short of signaling a vote in favor of his nomination but it conveyed public encouragement for him continuing to seek confirmation. Ernst, a military veteran and rape survivor, had earlier declined to say if she would advance the nomination.
On Fox News Monday, Hegseth called the session “a great meeting. People don’t really know this, I’ve known Senator Ernst for over 10 years.”
Hegseth’s debut as a prospective member of the cabinet has been rocky. He is facing allegations that he raped a woman in 2017 — a claim he has repeatedly denied. He was not charged but paid the accuser a financial settlement. A lawyer for Hegseth has said the encounter was consensual.
“It was fully investigated at the time, years ago, and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told Hannity, and said that he looks forward to an FBI background check.
Other reports have detailed his resignation from two veterans advocacy groups, including a whistleblower report from one of the organizations in 2015 that described him as intoxicated on the job and alleged that he and members of his management team pursued sexual relationships with female staff. An NBC News report claimed that Hegseth’s drinking worried co-workers at Fox News, where he was a weekend co-host.
Hegseth has repeatedly said that women should not serve in combat. That stance put him at odds with Ernst, whose daughter serves in the Army. But Ernst in her statement said Hegseth “committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women.”
Hegseth told Hannity that he wanted to clarify his position, saying, “I look forward to being a secretary for all our warriors, men and women, for the amazing contributions they make in our military.”
--With assistance from Meghashyam Mali.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.