Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) defended Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday, downplaying past allegations of excessive drinking. Despite reports of Hegseth’s reputation for drinking on the job, Mullin suggested that everyone has a time in their life when they need to “grow up,” even if it was only seven years ago when Hegseth was 37 years old.
When asked by the Associated Press about reports of Hegseth’s excessive drinking, Mullin responded: “Listen, all of us, at least all of us, have a time to grow up. We’re nominating Pete for who he is today not for what he did seven years ago or five years ago or whatever it was.” He further elaborated: “It doesn’t matter, we all have a period of time where you got to grow up.
So it’s what he can do today moving forward.” The defense secretary nominee has faced scrutiny following a New Yorker report on Monday that revealed his reputation for drinking while working in a previous role. On Wednesday, NBC News published a report highlighting claims from Hegseth’s Fox News co-workers, who said he was known for arriving to work smelling of alcohol and dealing with hangovers.
One source even mentioned that Hegseth “smelled like alcohol and talked about being hung over as recently as this fall.” Despite these allegations, Mullin and other GOP lawmakers, such as Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), appear untroubled. However, some Republicans, including Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), have expressed skepticism about confirming Hegseth due to the reports of his past behavior.
As the nomination moves forward, it remains to be seen whether the allegations about Hegseth’s conduct will significantly impact his confirmation as defense secretary. For now, supporters like Mullin continue to emphasize that Hegseth’s past actions should not overshadow his present qualifications.