Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tiptoed toward endorsing defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth after Monday's meeting.
After the meeting, Graham, who had previously expressed doubts about Hegseth, praised Hegseth in a post on X on Monday.
He posted:
I had a very positive, thorough, and candid conversation with Pete Hegseth about his nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense. I appreciated how open and straightforward he was.
I have known Pete for many years and also served in the Reserves, so I am familiar with his service in Afghanistan. Everyone in his unit in Afghanistan (including his Afghan partners) had nothing but great things to say about Pete. He is smart, passionate, and loves the men and women in uniform and our country.
Mr. Graham previously called the anonymous allegations against Mr. Hegseth “very concerning,” but said Monday that the committee should consider such allegations only if they are supported by Congressional testimony.
He said in the post:
Allegations made regarding the financial management or personal misconduct of a veterans service organization should be considered by the committee only if they are supported by testimony before Congress and not by anonymous sources. .
He also appeared to defend his vote for Biden's Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, saying, “When it comes to supporting presidential Cabinet nominees, I have a track record of being nonpartisan, because every president has a strong team. Because I think they have the right to choose.”
The defense comes after Donald Trump Jr. posted Austin's vote totals on X last week, showing Republican senators, including Graham, supporting him.
Graham, who has been criticized by Hegseth's supporters, said that while the confirmation process “should allow for challenging questions,” his hearings “should not be allowed to become a three-way circus. ” he said.
“Challenging questions are and should be tolerated in the confirmation process for all candidates, and I expect that to be the case here as well. But I want Pete to have the opportunity to defend himself. “and that his confirmation hearing should not be allowed to become a three-ring circus,” he posted.
Follow Christina Wong's X on Breitbart News. society of truth,or facebook.
