Lindsey Graham has given two wildly different takes on Pete Hegseth within 24 hours as the president-elect’s pick for defense secretary continues to fight for his nomination.
Graham, one of Donald Trump’s most loyal allies, has weighed in on the allegations surrounding Hegseth and contradicted himself in a short space of time.
Hegseth faces ongoing scrutiny over scandals from his past, centering around his treatment of women, which have the potential to derail his upcoming confirmation to lead the Pentagon.
And the former Fox News host also faces allegations of repeated drunken behavior at official events during his tenure as the chief of Concerned Veterans for America, which lasted from 2013 to 2016.
In one interview on Tuesday, Graham said the reports about Hegseth were “very disturbing,” but by Wednesday, however, Graham had changed his tune.
“Some of these articles are very disturbing,” the South Carolina senator told a CBS reporter on Tuesday. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here but some of this stuff is —it’s going to be difficult.”
“Good order and discipline is important, leadership comes from the top and I want to make sure that every young woman who joins the military feels respected and welcomed,” he added.
But on Wednesday while speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, Graham dismissed the allegations.
“The allegations against Pete are all anonymous sources. I am not going to make any decision based on an anonymous source,” Graham said. “If you’re not willing to raise your hand under oath and make the accusation, it doesn’t count.”
“I’ve heard everything about all of these people. None of it counts, no rumors, no innuendo,” he added. “I’ve seen this movie before.”
Hegseth’s accuser in the 2017 California sexual assault case – in which no criminal charges were brought and Hegseth denies – signed a nondisclosure agreement and therefore is unlikely to be able to speak out.
Hegseth and his lawyer Tim Parlatore told the New Yorker’s Jane Mayers that “sources” claimed Monterrey police didn’t charge Hegseth in the California case because they learned “his accuser had previously brought a false rape charge against someone else, thus undermining her credibility.”
According to Mayer, though, the Monterey County District Attorney’s office told her Parlatore’s “claim is spurious” and that the “office had no such evidence” about additional false sexual assault charges levied by the accuser.
On Wednesday, Hegseth was at the Capitol meeting with senators in an attempt to salavge his nomination.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been rumored to step into the nomination if Trump’s team decide to ditch Hegseth.
