Rep. Wealthy McCormick (R-Ga.) mentioned on Wednesday that he was “really impressed” with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s nominee to guide the Pentagon, after the previous Fox Information host met with the Home Republicans on Capitol Hill.
McCormick mentioned in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill” that Hegseth offered his case effectively earlier than the Home Republican Examine Committee, the biggest caucus of Republican members, and defended himself in opposition to claims associated to alleged sexual assault and extreme consuming.
The allegations that Hegseth faces, together with the comparatively restricted expertise he has operating massive organizations, have raised questions amongst some lawmakers about his prospects of being confirmed.
“I hear all kinds of rumors, and I’ve heard other people’s names floated out there, but really, when it came down to it wasn’t substantiated at all,” McCormick mentioned about Hegseth. “As a matter of fact, I was really impressed.”
“I came in there skeptical. I knew what he’d done in the Army, and I know what his mission was. And I thought, ‘Well, is this guy really qualified for that overview?’ He really impressed me, as somebody who was mature, looking at this, what he could and what he doesn’t know about, and who he’d hire in order to help him with the job. That’s really a huge job of almost a trillion dollar budget,” McCormick continued.
Hegseth has been the topic of accusations of sexual assault stemming from a 2017 encounter that he says was consensual, in addition to claims of being drunk at work and mismanagement of funds whereas operating two veterans organizations.
Hegseth, nevertheless, was defiant on Wednesday, vowing to combat on in a collection of media appearances.
The Trump staff, broadly reported to have been blindsided by allegations of non-public misconduct by Hegseth, is claimed to be contemplating different choices to supplant Hegseth as decide to guide the Pentagon. The Wall Avenue Journal reported on Wednesday that President-elect Trump was contemplating asking his previous rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The Related Press reported one such risk was transferring Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) from his present nomination to be nationwide safety adviser to take the helm on the Pentagon as an alternative.
McCormick mentioned within the interview Wednesday that Hegseth was clear that Trump was nonetheless backing him for the place.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which additionally owns The Hill.
