Newly elected US President Donald Trump said today that he stands by the choice of Pete Hegsett as Secretary of Defense, despite accusations of sexual assault and alcohol consumption by the former soldier and Fox News host.
"Pete is doing great," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that Hegsett is a winner and there's nothing he can do about it.
Trump wants to end disagreements even within the Republican camp over the selection of Hegsett, a 44-year-old former soldier, to take over the Pentagon, which employs more than three million people and has an $800 billion defense budget in 2023. year.
However, the final word on the appointment will be with the Senate, which is responsible for confirming the nominations of certain positions of high responsibility.
As reported by NBC News, six Republican senators oppose Hegsett's nomination, while Donald Trump's party will have a majority of 53 senators against 47 Democrats from January next year.
Hegsett, the host of Fox News, the favorite channel of American conservatives, has visited the Senate several times in recent days to try to convince senators who oppose his nomination.
In mid-November, a few days after his appointment was announced, a 2017 sexual assault allegation in California became public.
No complaint was filed at the time, and the ex-soldier denies any relationship without the consent of the other party.
Doubts about Hegsett's selection grew further when the New York Times reported that his mother had called him a "woman abuser" in an email in 2018 and said he lacked strength of character.
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