Pete Hegseth, a former National Guardsman whom President-elect Trump has selected to lead the Pentagon, said he had “great” conversations with senators in an effort to shore up his confirmation and said he was “in the thick of this fight.” I'm standing inside.”
Hegseth said Thursday he refused to recuse himself from the fray as his nomination remains up in the air over allegations of alcohol and sexual misconduct. He denies any wrongdoing.
“We had some great conversations about who we are and what we believe in,” Hegseth said of his meeting with the senators. “And frankly, I am who I am today because of my faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and my wife, Jenny, who is here, and I am a different person than I was a few years ago. is.”
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President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, and his wife, Jennifer Lausche, walk through the basement of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“And I think that's a story of redemption that many Americans will appreciate,” he added. “I could tell from the fellow veterans I spent time with that they relate to that, too. They fight in tough places and go through tough things for their country. Sometimes it changes you a little bit.”
Emails from Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, were recently leaked criticizing Hegseth's past relationships with women. She joined “FOX and Friends” Wednesday morning to set the record straight, saying she wrote the email in a heated moment after her son's divorce, but apologized hours after sending it.
Hegseth's mother also said she did not believe any of the accusations against him.
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President-elect Trump's Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Rausche attend a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
multiple sources confirmed to Fox News According to reports, President Trump is considering nominating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, to replace Hegseth as secretary of defense in response to the allegations against him.
But Hegseth dismissed potential replacements and told reporters he was ready to fight.
“As long as Donald Trump wants me to be in this fight, I'm going to stand right here in this fight and fight to get the Department of Defense back on track,” he said.
Hegseth also told reporters that he does not answer to the media, only to Trump, God, his family and the senators who are scheduled to vote for confirmation.
On Thursday, Hegseth said his conversations with senators “were solid and candid at times, with big questions about policy and character.”
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“So we're going to get that vote,” he said. “We're fighting to the end of the tape, and we're grateful for the president's support because his vision for this Department of Defense is to restore our core capabilities to deter our adversaries and, if necessary, defeat them. “Enemy.” ”
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
