WASHINGTON – The nomination of Pete Hegseth, who has been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Pentagon, is facing scrutiny as allegations against him continue to surface. Senators who will play a crucial role in confirming him are weighing these concerns seriously.
On Wednesday, Hegseth’s mother defended her son on Fox News amid reports detailing various accusations, including claims of workplace alcohol intoxication, sexual misconduct, and possible financial mismanagement. As the transition team for Trump grew increasingly uneasy about the nomination, they began to explore other candidates for the position, according to an insider familiar with the situation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is reportedly a potential alternative if Hegseth’s confirmation proves to be problematic. This information comes from several individuals who wish to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of internal discussions. On Tuesday, Trump and DeSantis appeared together at a ceremony in West Palm Beach to pay tribute to three fallen sheriff’s deputies.
The Trump transition team has yet to issue a public statement regarding the situation. In her appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Penelope Hegseth discussed a 2018 email she sent to her son, which had been obtained by The New York Times. In this email, she confronted him about his treatment of women after learning he had impregnated his current wife while still married to his second wife.
This email followed several allegations presented by The New Yorker, which accused Hegseth of inappropriate conduct towards female staff members. Additionally, Hegseth faced allegations of sexual assault back in 2017, a claim he has rejected, stating that the encounter was consensual. Hegseth is a former host at Fox News and served as an Army National Guard major, having deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Should he gain Senate approval, he would oversee a military force comprising 2 million members, over 17% of whom are female. The latest disclosures have raised alarms among some lawmakers.
“My son means the world to me,” Penelope Hegseth expressed during her interview. She addressed Trump directly, asserting that her son “is not the person he was seven years ago.” The emotional tone escalated as she explained that she had written the email amid a turbulent divorce process for Hegseth and his then-wife, describing the moment as particularly trying. She mentioned that she quickly regretted her words, retracting the email and apologizing to her son just a couple of hours after sending it.
