President-elect Donald Trump is considering dropping Pete Hegseth, his first pick for defense secretary, in favor of nominating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis instead, according to US media reports.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has raised concerns among Republican lawmakers over allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans' charities, repeated instances of public drunkenness, and infidelity.
Citing a person familiar with the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported that the president-elect raised DeSantis's name during conversations with the guests at his resort in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.
The discussions are in their early stages, it said.
DeSantis, a former presidential candidate who criticized Trump before dropping out and endorsing his rival's bid to return to the White House, is not the only candidate to possibly replace Hegseth in Trump's future cabinet.
Other possibilities being discussed include Elbridge Colby, a former Pentagon official and ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance, as well as Republican Senator Joni Ernst, sources familiar with the matter said.
Trump and DeSantis attended a memorial service on Tuesday honoring fallen law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County, Florida, said the Journal. The proposal was recently brought to DeSantis, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
- RED FLAGS MISSED
The New Yorker magazine reported that Hegseth was accused of personal misconduct, including the revelation that he had secretly paid a financial settlement to a woman who accused him of raping her in 2017.
The magazine also presented information it said raised questions of Hegseth's suitability to run the world's largest and most powerful military force. Documents showed that Hegseth was forced to step down by the two veteran nonprofit advocacy groups he ran due to multiple allegations, including financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the report of Hegseth's drinking as alarming and disqualifying, telling the New Yorker that the committee would carefully review Hegseth's nomination.
Breaking with precedent, Trump bypassed normal FBI background checks for Hegseth and Matt Gaetz-who withdrew from consideration for attorney general last month-as well as other cabinet nominees, checks which could potentially have raised red flags about their behavior before their names were announced.
Critics say Trump's cabinet picks show adherence to a radical agenda as well as giving a free pass to accused sex offenders and people clearly unfit for the position they were nominated for.
