Maggie Haberman Says ‘Most People Around Trump’ Think Hegseth Nomination Is Toast

CNN analyst and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said “most people” in President-elect Donald Trump’s circle believe his nomination of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense is done for.

Trump nominated the former Fox News host to lead the Department of Defense in a move that is teetering on the brink. Shortly after Hegseth was named, a slew of scandalous reports emerged. These included a rape allegation that Hegseth denies, serial adultery, and smelling of alcohol while on the job at Fox.

A 2018 email Hegseth received has also been making the rounds. In it, Penelope Hegseth told her son he is “an abuser of women.” She later wrote a follow-up email to him apologizing, stating she had written in anger. On Wednesday, she appeared on Fox News to defend her son.

Though Republicans control the Senate, Hegseth’s nomination is very much up in the air. While appearing on Wednesday’s edition of The Source on CNN, Haberman went so far as to say the nomination is toast.

“There are some people who are more optimistic than others,” she said. “Most people in Trump’s orbit do not think that this is looking like a likely prospect, that Pete Hegseth survives just because, if you look at this litany of things that he is talking about number one, these stories have been hanging out for a number of days. Trump has been complaining privately to people that he feels like Hegseth should have been more upfront with him.”

Haberman qualified by claiming that she does not know if Trump gave Hegseth those opportunities, but that this is “what Trump is saying.”

She added that multiple issues now being flagged in the media did not come up during the Trump team’s vetting of Hegseth.

“Having his mother speaking to Trump, clearly she was speaking to the audience of one,” Haberman said of Penelope Hegseth’s TV hit. “She began that interview directing her remarks to Trump. And so, she knew what she was supposed to say. Will it be enough? I don’t know. Most people around Trump are pretty skeptical. And once he starts talking about possible replacements, it’s hard to see why senators who are already skeptical would be like, ‘Oh ok, now I’m going to go along with this.'”

Watch above via CNN.