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- [00:01]
Mary Louise Kelly
Hi, it's Mary Louise Kelly. Yesterday was giving Tuesday and it is not too late to show your love for public media and consider this the easiest way to support the in depth reporting and conversations you rely on. From consider this is to join npr. When you sign up for a simple recurring donation, you support NPR's mission of creating a more informed public and you unlock special perks for more than 25 NPR podcasts, things like sponsor free listening and bonus episodes. NPR has great grown a lot this past year. We want to say a special thank you to all of those supporters right now. If you haven't given yet, you can sign up for npr@plus.NPR.org you'll join a community of supporters who are curious about the world, who value journalism, where we talk to you like real people and where we bring you independent reporting with context, analysis and humanity. If you value all of that and the work we put into this show, help keep it going. Support npr@plottplus.NPR.org Again, that is plus.NPR.org okay, on to today's episode.
- [01:17]
Penelope Hegseth
I am here to tell the truth, to tell the truth to the American people and tell the truth to the senators on the Hill, especially our female senators. I really hope that you will not listen to the media and that you will listen to Pete.
- [01:36]
Mary Louise Kelly
Pete is Pete Hegseth, President Elect Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department in his second administration. And the woman urging senators on the Hill, especially the female ones, to listen to Pete. That's his mother, Penelope Hegseth.
- [01:51]
Penelope Hegseth
And I want people to look at Pete, judge people or understand him for who he is today and to disregard the media. That was seven years ago and most of it is misinformation.
- [02:05]
Mary Louise Kelly
Hegseth's mother was talking to Fox and Friends host Steve Doocy about an email she wrote to her son accusing him of routinely mistreating women and displaying a lack of character. The email, which was written during Hegseth's 2018 divorce, was published this week by the New York Times. His mother says she wrote the email in haste during an emotional time. And she says today her relationship with Hegseth is solid.
- [02:31]
Penelope Hegseth
Pete and I are very close today. In fact, our whole family is very tight knit.
- [02:36]
Mary Louise Kelly
As Penelope Hegseth did damage control on Fox News, her son was doing the same with senators on Capitol Hill. Annie told CBS News he still has the president elect support.
- [02:48]
David Falkenflik
I spoke to the president elect this morning. He said keep going, keep fighting behind you all the way.
- [02:54]
Mary Louise Kelly
Numerous allegations have swirled around Trump's Pentagon pick since he was nominated.
- [02:58]
Penelope Hegseth
Hegseth drank in ways that concerned his colleagues at Fox News. According to CBS News has learned GOP insiders pushed to remove him as the leader of a veterans group back in 2016 over allegations of financial mismanagement repeated.
- [03:13]
Mary Louise Kelly
In mayor's reporting, quote, a previously undisclosed whistleblower report on Hegseth's tenure. But despite denials from Hegseth and Trump's transition team, some Republican senators are expressing concern. Senator LINDSEY Graham, some of these articles are very disturbing.
- [03:30]
David Falkenflik
He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is it's going to be difficult. You know, time will tell.
- [03:39]
Mary Louise Kelly
Consider this. Pete Hegseth's nomination as secretary of defense hangs in the balance. Will he survive? From npr, I'm Mary Louise Kelly. It's considered this from NPR at the time we published this episode, Pete Hegseth, President elect Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, is struggling to hold on to his nomination. He faces an ever longer list of accusations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement. The former Fox and Friends weekend host has spent Wednesday meeting with senators, doing interviews, trying to control the damage. Those are two of the things I talked about with NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh and NPR media correspondent David Falkenflik. David, you start because I know you have got some new reporting about Pete Hagseth. What have you learned?
- [04:40]
David Falkenflik
We are reporting today that a former Fox colleague of Pete Hagseth says that he got handsy repeatedly at incidents when he was inebriated and once even groping her bottom at a Manhattan bar. She asked NPR not to be identified for fear of retribution.
- [04:55]
Mary Louise Kelly
And when you put this to Pete Hagseth, what is he or his team saying in response?
- [05:00]
David Falkenflik
So I corresponded with his attorney, Timothy, who says it's a false claim. This follows, obviously, among other things, a report in the New Yorker that talked about an incident in 2017 in California in which he was accused of sexually assault. He paid that off, although he has now denied that incident occurred. He said it was consensual. And there was a report last night From NBC that 10 current and former Fox colleagues alleged that he drank alcohol at a routinely at a concerning level. Pollatori Hedgehog's attorney told me that those claims have been thoroughly debunked in his friar by a number of other Fox News employees, including Hegseth's former co host Will Kane, who have spoken out on the record using their names to dispute that characterization of Hegseth. I asked Fox about all this. It said that it had not received complaints about the accusation of the groping in the bar and also had no knowledge of the California incident or the settlement to keep that private.
- [05:55]
Mary Louise Kelly
Deirdrewitt, let me bring you in here because what ultimately will matter is what the senators who will vote to confirm or not confirm Hegseth make of these reports, particularly Republican senators, right?
- [06:06]
Deirdre Walsh
I mean, these reports are definitely coming up. In these individual meetings that Hecseth has been having. So far, no Republican senator has publicly said they will vote no on Hex s nominations. Some of Trump's top allies in the Senate, like Bill Haggerty of Tennessee, are waving off the allegations, saying they are just that, allegations. But we are hearing about these individual one on one meetings. A source familiar with the process tells our colleague Sue Davis that Hegseth is getting, quote, clear, direct and pointed questions and giving clear, direct and pointed answers. One of those senators sat down with him this afternoon, Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst. She served in the Army National Guard, and she said they had, quote, a frank and thorough conversation. The challenge really for Hegseth is a math one. I mean, right now, he can only afford to lose three Republican votes, and there are more than four Republicans who say they want more information, they want to see an FBI background check. They want to see Hegseth answer some tough questions now in their meetings before there's a public hearing, because they expect Democrats will aggressively question Hegseth, and they don't want any surprises.
- [07:14]
Mary Louise Kelly
David, we heard just a moment ago Hegseth himself speaking out, saying, I'm not going anywhere. And indeed, he does appear to be fighting to hang on to this nomination. How is he doing that?
- [07:24]
David Falkenflik
Well, in terms of media, there are two things worth noting. His mother, Penelope Hegseth, went on Fox and Friends, the weekday version of the show he used to host, the place where he auditioned for the role to defend him. She spoke to the audience, but also directly to its most important viewer, Donald Trump himself. And then he went on the podcast show of former Fox colleague Megyn Kelly, an interesting choice. She once accused Fox, the late Roger Ailes, Fox's former chairman, of sexually trying to sexually assault her and has spoken out on that issue. But she also has swung hard to be a voice that's supportive of Donald Trump and while posing some pretty tough questions to him, was also offering him the warm embrace and pointing out how, in her words, unfair the media had been to him.
- [08:04]
Mary Louise Kelly
Deirdre, you get last word just on this case again, that Hegseth is going to have to make to senators who have to be convinced to confirm him.
- [08:11]
Deirdre Walsh
Right. He's got work to do. The chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, sat down with Hegseth and told reporters Hegseth committed to not drink while serving as defense secretary as a response to all these reports about excessive drinking. You know, he has some allies, but he still has to make the case to some other Senate Republicans, like Maine Republican Susan Collins, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, if there are any other reports that come out with concerns about his capacity to lead the department. Republicans I talked to say it's just going to make it that much harder. Beyond that, he has to keep Trump's support. Other outlets are reporting Trump may be looking at backups like Florida Governor Ron.
- [08:52]
Mary Louise Kelly
DeSantis, NPR's Deirdre Walsh and David Falkenflik. Thank you.
- [08:57]
Deirdre Walsh
Thank you.
- [08:57]
David Falkenflik
You bet.
- [09:00]
Mary Louise Kelly
This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Jordan Marie Smith. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Kelsey Snell. Our executive produce producer is Sammy Yenigun. Let's consider this. From npr, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.