Sen. Kevin Cramer (RN.D.) said Wednesday that he supports Pete Hegseth's nomination to lead the Pentagon unless there are any more “surprises” in his confirmation process. , the confirmation process has been bogged down in recent days with concerns from some in the Senate. Republican.
Mr. Kramer, who is considered a key vote in the confirmation battle, told reporters after meeting with Mr. Hegseth on Wednesday night that there was “no reason not to support” the former Fox News host, but he said there was “no reason not to support” the former Fox News host next term. has warned that it supports Mr. Hegseth. No other reports have emerged that could further damage his prospects.
“Yes, I think it's likely that we're going to reach a 'yes' vote. There's no reason not to vote yes,” Kramer said. “Again, now is not the time to vote, but I look forward to supporting him in any way I can… barring any surprises.”
North Dakota Republicans asked Hegseth during the meeting whether more revelations would come to light in the coming days. The candidate said he did not expect such a thing to exist unless “someone made it up.”
“I said, 'One of the things that hurts people the most in this industry…is surprises. So are there any other surprises?' And he said, 'Nothing that we know to be true. I didn’t say that,” Kramer said. “There's no reason not to believe him on that.”
Mr. Kramer described the meeting as “candid,” noting that Mr. Hegseth had vowed not to drink alcohol while he was secretary if confirmed. NBC News reported earlier this week Fox employees were concerned about Hegseth's drinking level, and some sources said he smelled of alcohol before going on air. One source pointed out that something similar happened just last month.
“He made that promise, and I wanted to hear that promise. To be honest, I was pretty happy with it,” Kramer said, noting that he has a family history of alcohol abuse. said ahead of the meeting that this type of effort is important to him. “I gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
Hegseth admitted to drinking too much at several work events. More from The New Yorker However, he denied that “anything inappropriate happened” or the specific instances mentioned in the article.
“There's no more reason to doubt him than to believe anyone else,” Kramer said.
The Pentagon nominee has come under fire in recent days following a report in The New Yorker and revelations of a 2017 sexual assault allegation, which he denies. On Wednesday, he appeared on “Fox & Friends” with his mother, spoke for an hour with Megyn Kelly on her eponymous SiriusXM show, and lashed out at the media in an attempt to get his confirmation hopes back on track. Ta.
“He made it very clear that he intended to stay,” Kramer added.
