Hegseth to sit for Fox News interview as he tries to rescue Pentagon nomination: report

Fox News personality Pete Hegseth is set to sit for an interview with his own network Wednesday as he tries to rescue his embattled nomination to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of defense, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported on Tuesday evening.

"In a sign of how seriously the Trump transition team is viewing Republican senators' concerns about Pete Hegseth, he is expected to sit for an interview with Fox News tomorrow, I'm told by multiple people," Collins posted to X. "That's notable given most (if not all?) of Trump's Cabinet picks have been told not to do media until after they are confirmed."

Hegseth's nomination was derailed almost instantly by allegations of sexual assault, with a contemporary police report and reputed hush money payments coming to light.

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In addition, several current and former colleagues of Hegseth have come forward to allege he has a drinking problem behind the scenes.

NBC News reported that at least six Senate Republicans were unable to commit to voting for Hegseth if his nomination moves forward.

All of this comes after Trump's initial pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), imploded as the House Ethics Committee wrestled with whether to release the results of an investigation into allegations he committed child sex trafficking, took illicit drugs, and accepted improper gifts. Trump ultimately picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, his former defense counsel during his first impeachment, to replace him.