Pete Hegseth might be the second of Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominations to be derailed by controversy.
The Washington Post reports the president-elect is mulling alternates for Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense. Hegseth’s nomination has resurfaced stories about the former Fox News host’s tumultuous divorce and an alleged sexual assault. With worry building in Trump’s camp that Hegseth might not make it through the nomination process, he’s reportedly considering his former rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Anonymous sources who spoke with the Post said that DeSantis talked with Trump about the role on Tuesday. Others shared that Trump is considering bumping up Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., to head the Pentagon. Trump nominated Waltz in November to serve as national security adviser.
Hegseth’s nomination has been troubled from the start. A police report from an alleged rape in 2017 and a scathing letter from his mother that called him an “abuser of women” quickly came to light after Trump tagged him to lead the Department of Defense last month. Hegseth’s mother publicly walked back her comments about her son and the Trump team has not given a public indication of wavering faith in Hegseth’s nomination.
However, there’s already some precedent in public pressure forcing a Trump nominee to bow out of consideration. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz pulled himself from consideration for attorney general after his nomination renewed interest in a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations of sexual misconduct.
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