Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said Wednesday that he was “really impressed” with President-elect Trump's nominee to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, after meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill. said.
In an interview on NewsNation's “The Hill,” McCormick said that Hegseth brought his allegations well before the House Republican Investigation Committee, the largest group of Republicans, and that Hegseth had been accused of sexual assault and excessive drinking. It said it had defended itself against related allegations.
Mr. Hegseth's allegations, along with his relatively limited experience running large organizations, have raised questions among some lawmakers about his confirmation prospects.
“I've heard all kinds of rumors and I've heard other names floated around, but the truth is, at the end of the day, there's no substantiation at all,” McCormick said of Hegseth. spoke. “Actually, I was really impressed.”
“I came in there skeptical. I knew what he did in the Army, I knew what his mission was. And I thought, 'This guy really has the outline. Am I qualified to know?'' I thought. Seeing this, he really impressed me as a mature person about what he can and doesn't know and who he hires to help him with the job. “This is a huge undertaking, with a budget of nearly $1 trillion,” McCormick continued.
Hegseth is the subject of accusations of sexual assault stemming from a consensual encounter in 2017, as well as workplace drinking and mismanagement of funds while running two veterans organizations. are also being sued.
But Hegseth struck a defiant note in a series of media appearances Wednesday, vowing to keep fighting.
The Trump campaign, widely reported to have been blindsided by Hegseth's allegations of personal misconduct, is said to be considering other options to replace him at the top of the Pentagon. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President-elect Trump is considering asking his former rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). One such possibility, the Associated Press reports, is that Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.) could be removed from the current nomination for national security adviser and be replaced at the helm of the Pentagon. It was reported.
McCormick said in an interview Wednesday that Hegseth has made it clear that Trump still supports his position.
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