Fox News anchor John Roberts reacted to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday by claiming it is commonplace for Pentagon leaders to have booze in their offices.
Roberts’ observation came after Hegseth was grilled by Democrats about allegations of drinking on the job, prompting GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin to accuse his colleagues of “hypocrisy” because senators have “shown up drunk to vote at night.”
Additionally, the Fox News anchor invoked Winston Churchill to suggest that a lack of sobriety while working isn’t that big of a deal, noting that visitors to a museum honoring the late British leader” can buy a bottle of the scotch that he used to drink while he was looking after the war.”
Throughout a contentious and chaotic Senate hearing on Tuesday, Hegseth defiantly pushed back on allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking that have plagued his nomination. Claiming that he was the victim of a “coordinated smear campaign” launched by a “left-wing media” set out to “destroy” him, the former Fox News star roundly dismissed the accusations against him as “anonymous smears.”
After Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) relentlessly grilled Hegseth on his marital infidelities and allegations of drinking in the workplace, Mullin ran to the former Fox & Friends Weekend host’s defense by insisting lawmakers on Capitol Hill had no business passing judgment.
“How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night? Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it, because you have,” Mullin huffed. “And how many senators do you know have gotten divorced for cheating on their wives? ... It is ridiculous you guys hold yourselves to higher standards.”
After the hearing adjourned, Roberts brought on Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich to discuss how Mullin had stood up for their former colleague.
“Touché,” Roberts noted after airing the clip.
“That’s what we call a mic drop in this business,” Pavlich added. “He is not holding back in questioning the high and mighty moral positions that these senators are taking when they are talking to Pete Hegseth.” At the same time, Pavlich noted that “drinking on the job is not a good thing,” prompting Roberts to offer up a bit of a counterpoint.
“But what secretary of defense does not have a bottle of bourbon or whiskey in his office? Come on,” the America Reports host declared.
“If you go to Capitol Hill over here, you’ll find many bottles of bourbon on the bar carts in the Senate offices,” Pavlich agreed.
Meanwhile, at the end of the segment, Roberts circled back to their discussion on how prevalent alcohol was in the lives of national defense leaders.
“Just to put a button on this alcohol thing, if you go to Churchill’s War Rooms in London, you can buy a bottle of the scotch that he used to drink while he was looking after the war,” the anchor stated.
“Indeed you can,” Pavlich replied. “I highly recommend people go visit those war rooms.”
