Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, is continuing to meet with Senators who will decide whether to approve his elevation to the post.
There are still questions about reported sexual misconduct allegations, allegations of mismanagement of funds while leading a veterans' charitable organization, and questions about alcohol and drinking issues that he reportedly had while working at Fox News.
Those questions have reportedly come up with Hegseth's meetings with senators. Hegseth met Monday with Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, who is herself a military veteran and a sexual assault survivor.
Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday told reporters he has learned more about Hegseth's reported history with alcohol.
"[Hegseth] admitted that coming back from deployment he and a lot of his young single service members did enjoy drinking and partying. I don't find that unusual or abnormal," Cornyn said. "He doesn't currently believe that he has a problem. He has in the past consumed alcohol, but I don't think he would be unique here on Capitol Hill or in the Pentagon for having done that."
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Cornyn and other Republican senators have also reiterated that the allegations of sexual misconduct against Hegseth so far come from anonymous accusers. It's still not clear if accusers would come forward before or during confirmation hearings.
Hegseth is expected to meet soon with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another pivotal voice in the Senate who could lend crucial support to Hegseth's nominations.
Republicans have a large enough majority in the next Congress to not need Democratic votes to confirm any of Trump's cabinet nominations — but that majority is still slim enough that the party can sustain only a few defections.
