Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, is actively engaging with Republican senators to secure their support ahead of his confirmation hearings. On Tuesday, he has scheduled meetings with three key senators in their offices.
Firstly, North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will meet with Hegseth at 2 p.m. ET. Following this, incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Jim Risch is set to meet with him at 3:45 p.m. ET. Lastly, Armed Services member Sen. Eric Schmitt will have a meeting with Hegseth at 5 p.m. ET.
These meetings come in the wake of a report by The New Yorker alleging Hegseth's removal from two veterans’ advocacy organizations due to mismanagement and misconduct. Despite these allegations, Hegseth is actively seeking to build relationships with key senators to bolster his chances of confirmation.
