EPA
Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for defence secretary says he still has the president-elect’s backing after reports suggested his nomination may be in jeopardy over allegations of misconduct.
Trump is considering replacing Pete Hegseth with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the BBC’s partner CBS News reported, after Hegseth’s nomination came under intense scrutiny.
Since Trump nominated the former Fox News host, questions about Hegseth’s qualifications have been raised – and a past sexual assault allegation has surfaced.
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing, and was never arrested or charged.
Hegseth, on Wednesday, did not address the DeSantis reports directly and told reporters that Trump had told him to “keep going, keep fighting”.
He spent most of the day in closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill, seeking to quell concerns and shore up support in the Senate.
“I spoke to the president this morning. (Trump) supports me fully. We’re not going anywhere,” Hegseth told the BBC, stopping to speak outside the Senate chamber.
In a post on X on Wednesday morning, Hegseth accused “the Left” of trying to smear him with “fake” stories.
But his nomination is also the subject of growing scrutiny by members of his own party – including US senators who have the power to confirm or deny his appointment when asked to vote on it.
“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CBS on Tuesday. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult.”
“The president gets the benefit of the doubt with his nominees,” fellow Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota told the BBC. “But we still have a role to play. We’ll ask him questions and we’ll go from there.”
Other Republicans signalled that they supported Hegseth despite the controversies.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida said he believed Hegseth would receive a Senate confirmation. He told reporters that Hegseth was “somebody that’s clearly smart, and he’s somebody that clearly wants to make changes.”
Watch: ‘Why would I back down?’ – Pete Hegseth responds to nomination reports
DeSantis, who was elected Florida governor in 2018, did not reply to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Trump declined to say whether DeSantis was under consideration for the post.
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