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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, responded to criticism from his Fox News colleagues Wednesday, saying they were jealous of him.
Speaking on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Show about the multiple allegations against him since his nomination, the veteran host laughed when Kelly asked him about his alleged drinking problem.
"They never ask the people closest to me, they never ask the people who are involved directly," he said of media reports about him. "They never ask the people closest to me.
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"All the folks at Fox and Friends have come out and said: 'This is not Pete and we've worked with Pete for 10 years, every single morning, every single day'."
He said the comments used against him were "a couple anonymous nuggets" from those who had been fired, "who are jealous or want a little bit of retribution".
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Hegseth, who has also been accused of mismanagement and sexual misconduct, was tipped by Trump to be the next Secretary of Defense. He has denied all the allegations against him, including a police report which revealed a woman accused him of sexual assault in 2017.
The Fox host's record has come under increasing scrutiny, however, with recent reports that he was repeatedly intoxicated during his tenure as CEO of the Koch-backed group Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) between 2013 and 2016.
On Monday, he told reporters that he was not going to dignify questions about his drinking with a response. That stance appeared to have changed by Wednesday, when he told Kelly he had never been told to seek help for drinking.
"What do guys do when they come back from war, oftentimes? Have some beers," he said. "How do you deal with the demons you see on the battlefield? Sometimes it's with a bottle."
Hegseth said that sometimes leads veterans into depression and, in some cases, suicide. For him, he said, his wife Jennifer and Jesus Christ saved him from that.
"I'm a very different person than I was 10 years ago, than I was 15 years ago," he added, saying he was the right guy to be in the Pentagon because he had lived life in the military.
Hegseth also spoke about the reports around the other allegations against him, saying that he still had the support of the President-elect and U.S. Senators, who hold the responsibility to confirm or deny the appointment.
That support has come publicly, also, from MAGA figures and Hegseth's colleagues at Fox News.
"Pete Hegseth is an outstanding choice for secretary of defense. I am confident he will bolster our military and make an excellent addition to the Trump administration," Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Fox contributor Guy Benson also posted on the social media platform, touting his support.
"I've co-hosted with Pete and have never experienced anything like what was claimed in this anonymously-sourced report," he said.
Others, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, have spoken against Hegseth's nomination. He called the allegations against Hegseth "disturbing".
Hegseth said he still had the full support of the President-elect, despite reports Trump was eyeing up Florida Governor Ron DeSantis instead.
"I spoke to him this morning, Megyn," Hegseth said of Trump. "I mean, he's amazing. He's a fighter. He's been through this himself."
Hegseth said Trump told him he needed to be "tough as s***" in his potential new role, adding that he was "the man for this moment".
Addressing accusations of sexual misconduct, he said that these were a distraction from real, credible incidents of assault. However, he welcomed the idea of an FBI background check before he is confirmed as Defense Secretary, saying he was telling the truth.
Update 12/04/24 3:56 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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