Gop Senator Wants Hegseth To Commit To Not Drinking

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said that he wants President-elect Trump's pick for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to stop drinking as reports mount that the former Fox News host has previously done so excessively.

The New Yorker reported on Sunday that Hegseth was forced to step down by two nonprofit advocacy groups he ran due to mismanagement of funds, sexual impropriety and excessive drinking. NBC News reported on Tuesday that Hegseth’s drinking also worried colleagues at Fox News, where he was a weekend host until earlier this month. 

"One of the things I'd love to hear is that he's committed to not drinking," Cramer told CNN on Wednesday. "Being familiar with the problems of alcoholism and the dumb things we do when we drink too much, it'd be really nice if he could set that one aside for good, if not at least through his term as secretary."

Cramer's comments come as Hegseth faces an uphill battle toward Senate confirmation for the top post at the Pentagon.

Hegseth was set to meet with Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) on Tuesday. Just four Republican senators would be needed to side with all Senate Democrats and sink his nomination.

Hegseth has also been under fire for some recent reports, including allegations of sexual assault connected to an encounter he says was consensual, and previous comments he's made about not allowing women to be in combat roles in the military. A New York Times story published last week reported that Hegseth’s mother sent him an email in 2018 accusing him of “routinely mistreating women for years” and displaying a “lack of character."

Hegseth has maintained that he won't back down amid the scrutiny.

Hegseth posted a photograph of himself from his time in the military on the social platform X with a message suggesting he is subject to a smear campaign from Democrats.

“I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers. The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me,” he wrote.

“So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth,” Hegseth continued. “Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.”