Fox News colleagues of Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, raise concerns over his alleged drinking problem, which they claim should be disqualifying for the cabinet role.
When Trump announced Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, as his pick for Secretary of Defense, his inexperience immediately sparked concern. Aside from serving in the military, he has no relevant experience for the role. It simply didn’t make sense to put a Fox News host who has never managed anything bigger than a small non-profit in charge of a complex bureaucracy that requires him to manage millions of active troops, maintain foreign relations, and make decisions that impact the safety of the entire country. However, citizens soon learned his inexperience may not be the biggest problem with his nomination. A sexual assault allegation from 2017 resurfaced after his nomination, in which a woman claimed he may have tampered with her drink before assaulting her. He ended up paying her a settlement to prevent her from filing a civil lawsuit.
On top of the sexual assault allegation and inexperience, multiple sources claim Hegseth’s drinking is cause for concern.
Pete Hegseth’s Fox News colleagues sound alarm on his drinking
Recently, The New Yorker published a report alleging that misconduct and alcoholism led to Hegseth being forced to step down from the two small non-profits he ran, Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. Sources told the outlet that Hegseth would utilize CVA events for partying, drinking, and womanizing. He would drink so heavily that he allegedly had to be carried back to his hotel room on multiple occasions. Days after The New Yorker‘s report, ten current and former Fox News employees spoke to NBC, where they painted a similar portrait of Hegseth’s alleged struggles with alcohol.
The anonymous colleagues claim that signs of his drinking persisted up until he departed Fox News upon his nomination as Secretary of Defense. Two colleagues claimed they’d smelled alcohol on him during work more than a dozen times and had heard him talk about being hungover before appearing on air. Three colleagues claimed they had to “babysit” Hegseth, calling him in the morning to ensure he didn’t oversleep because they “knew he’d be out partying the night before.” While his colleagues never recalled him missing a scheduled appearance, he would arrive late, sometimes with only 20 minutes to spare before the show began. They also recalled him getting “absolutely wasted” at social work events.
His drinking habits concerned his colleagues enough that they believed he shouldn’t be Secretary of Defense. One former Fox employee told NBC, “He should not be secretary of defense. His drinking should be disqualifying.” Another commented, “For the sake of national security, I really hope he has stopped drinking.” If the allegations are true, the Fox employee is correct that it could be disqualifying. In 1989, George H. W. Bush’s pick for Secretary of Defense, John Tower, was rejected by the Senate due to his history of alcohol abuse and womanizing.
As NBC noted, Secretary of Defense is a “round-the-clock” job. There’s no such thing as clocking out for the night and letting loose with a few drinks when crises or threats to the nation’s safety could arise at any time of day or night. Hegseth has adamantly denied the claims as false and suggested that he’s the victim of a smear campaign. However, the allegations are serious when over a dozen people who knew him are corroborating reports of his struggles. At this point, a “he-said-she-said” situation isn’t going to dispel concerns. To diffuse concerns, Hegseth would likely not only have to commit to giving up drinking for his new role but also have to prove that the nation can trust him to keep this commitment.
Published: Dec 4, 2024 01:12 pm