Not a ‘Drop of Alcohol on My Lips’: Hegseth Promises To Give Up Drinking Should He Be Confirmed as Defense Secretary

President Trump’s nominee for defense secretary is promising to give up drinking alcohol should he be confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The pledge comes after weeks of damaging stories about his alleged alcohol abuse and mistreatment of women. During an interview on Capitol Hill with Megyn Kelly, Mr. Hegseth said the work he wants to do at the Pentagon is far more important than ending the night with a drink. “This is the biggest deployment of my life, and there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it,” Mr. Hegseth said during an interview. Mr. Hegseth said that, even though he is promising to give up drinking, he has never had a problem with the practice. He also says it is typical for combat veterans to come home and drink a little more than the typical person. “I’ve never had a drinking problem. No one’s ever approached me and said, ‘you should really look at getting help for your drinking,’” he said. “What do guys do when they come back from war oftentimes? Have some beers. How do you deal with the demons you see on the battlefield? Sometimes it’s with a bottle.”Since he was nominated by Trump shortly after the presidential election, Mr. Hegseth has faced a flurry of stories about alleged alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct complaints over the years. On Tuesday, NBC News reported that at least 10 of Mr. Hegseth’s former colleagues at Fox News saw him drink to excess on multiple occasions, and would sometimes smell of alcohol when he came into work to host the weekend morning show. The New Yorker reported that the defense secretary nominee had to step down from leading his veterans advocacy nonprofit because of his drinking problem, which led him to allegedly mismanage funds and, on one occasion, had to be restrained when he took co-workers to a strip club and had too much to drink . Some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about the allegations about Mr. Hegseth’s alcohol consumption. Senator Wicker, who leads the Armed Services Committee and met with Mr. Hegseth on Monday, told reporters that Mr. Hegseth reassured him that he would not drink as long as he was the secretary of defense. “I think that’s probably a good idea,” the chairman said. Senator Ernst — an Army veteran who served overseas and who has talked about sexual harassment and assault she experienced in the military — has so far declined to say if she will support Mr. Hegseth’s nomination. Senator Cramer, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that he would appreciate it if Mr. Hegseth gave assurances he would quit drinking. “I would love that. That would help. It would help me a lot,” he says. Senator Graham, who also serves on the Armed Services Committee, raised doubts about Mr. Hegseth’s ability to get confirmed in a conversation with reporters on Monday. “Some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is gonna be difficult,” the South Carolina senator said. “Some of the things have to be addressed. We’ll see.”The Trump transition team and Mr. Hegseth himself seem concerned that the nomination is already on the verge of failure. The nominee’s mother, Penelope Hegseth, made an appearance on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday morning to plead with senators to give her son a chance at leading the Pentagon. Just days ago, an email that Ms. Hegseth sent her son, in which she accused him of being “an abuser of women,” made its way to the front page of the New York Times. She later said she wrote that email during a moment of emotional distress, and says she later apologized to her son for the message. “Pete is a new person. He’s redeemed, forgiven, changed,” Ms. Hegseth said Wednesday morning. “I believe he’s the man for the job.”Trump himself does not seem entirely convinced that Mr. Hegseth can make his way through the Senate’s confirmation process, however. On Tuesday — in a sign of how dire the nominee’s chances are at getting confirmed — the Wall Street Journal reported that Governor DeSantis was on deck to be the new defense secretary nominee should Mr. Hegseth fail or withdraw from consideration.

Not a ‘Drop of Alcohol on My Lips’: Hegseth Promises To Give Up Drinking Should He Be Confirmed as Defense Secretary

More from the New York Sun

Florida Freeze Prompts Roundup of Cold-Stunned Iguanas as Thousands Fall From Trees

The 50,000 Dow

The Dow 50,000 Prosperity Rocket Ship

Luigi Mangione’s Jeopardy

Will the Navy End Iran’s Ability To Export Oil?

Algebra, English, and Activism: Teachers at Middle and High School Instruct Students How To Protest ICE

Ex-CNN Star Ashleigh Banfield, Savannah Guthrie’s Former Coworker, Doubles Down on Her Reporting About Brother-in-Law

Economical Horror Indie ‘The Arborist’ Outshines Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ in Many Respects