Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) suggested Wednesday that he will support Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, if he commits to stop drinking.
On Sunday The New Yorker reported that Hegseth was forced to step down from leadership roles at two veterans organizations 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 worked as a weekend host until he was nominated by Trump.
“I think for me it would be real — It’d be a very significant thing. As I’ve said quite openly, I’ve had plenty of experience in my family with alcohol and the dumb things that follow it, abuse of substances,” Cramer told CNN. “And if he, if he’s willing to swear off alcohol, I think he’s, you know, I think that’s a pretty big corner for him to turn. And yeah, that would go a long ways with me.”
Cramer’s comments come as several controversies are threatening Hegseth’s confirmation even in the Republican controlled Senate.
Hegseth has been accused of paying off a woman he sexually assaulted in a California hotel in 2017 after a California Federation of Republican Women conference. He has denied the allegation and maintains that the encounter was consensual.
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 is also facing backlash for saying women should not serve in combat roles.
