Pete Hegseth says he won’t ‘back down’ as misconduct allegations face increased scrutiny
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, said Wednesday he would not “back down” after new allegations of misconduct sparked growing concern among Republican senators who would vote for him. confirm it or not.
“I’m doing this for the fighters, not the warmongers. The left is afraid of disruptors and change agents. They’re afraid of @realDonaldTrump – and me. So they mess with fake, anonymous sources. & BS stories. They don’t want the truth. Our warriors never retreat, and neither do I,” Hegseth wrote on X.
As he arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday for another day of meetings with Republican lawmakers, Hegseth said he spoke briefly with Trump earlier in the morning.
“He said keep going, keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way,” Hegseth told CBS News.
Asked if he was determined to stay in the running, Hegseth replied: “Why should I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the fighters of war. It’s personal and passionate for me.”
His comments come as a number of senators have privately signaled they are not inclined to vote to confirm Hegseth as Trump’s next defense secretary, leading Trump advisers to begin discussing the question of who might be a viable replacement, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Sources told ABC News that at least six senators have indicated privately that they do not intend to support Hegseth amid the growing allegations, including regarding mistreatment of women.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Defense, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, as they arrive at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Multiple sources also tell ABC News that Trump and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke about the job Tuesday and that DeSantis expressed interest.
Hegseth is scheduled to meet Ernst on Wednesday afternoon.
His mother, Penelope Hegseth, defended her son Wednesday morning on “Fox and Friends.”
Hegseth’s mother sent her son an email in 2018 in the midst of her divorce in which she wrote that he was an “abuser of women.” The email was reported by the New York Times. ABC News did not independently obtain the email.
Penelope Hegseth said Wednesday that her son was a “changed” man and that the email was written “in haste” during a “very emotional time.” She said she “retracted it with an apologetic email” just hours after sending it, and that she and her son were “very close today.”
She also pointed out that the allegations against Hegseth were from several years ago and claimed that “most” were “misinformation”, while repeatedly emphasizing that her son was a now different man who had been ” redeemed” and “forgiven”.
“We really think he’s not the man he was seven years ago. I’m not that mother anymore, and I hope people hear that story today and the truth of that story ” she said.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, walks through the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, December 3, 2024, in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The New Yorkerciting what he called a detailed seven-page whistleblower report, said Hegseth was forced to step down from two veteran nonprofit groups amid accusations of financial mismanagement, sexist behavior and other disqualifying behavior. ABC News has not independently confirmed the magazine’s story.
Several Republican senators said Tuesday they believe Hegseth should come forward and address the reports, which Sen. Lindsey Graham called “troubling.” But as he marched through the Capitol trying to rally support to lead the Defense Department, he ignored reporters’ questions.
Penelope Hegseth said on Fox News that she thought her son was “the man for the job.”
ABC News’ Rick Klein and Rachel Scott contributed to this report.
