An embattled Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, trudged through meetings and appearances on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as he fought to assuage senators’ concerns about his past behavior and push back on the steady flow of negative press that has followed him in recent days.
In his third visit to the Hill in as many days, Hegseth met with top Republicans including Armed Services ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is also its incoming chairman; committee members Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.; and the conservative House Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus in the House.
Hegseth’s meetings were punctuated by flurries of activity in the hallways of the Capitol, as he traversed the building flanked by an entourage of staff, advisers and security personnel who held throngs of reporters at bay while they shouted questions at him.
