‘Alcoholic? Womanizer? Embezzle Money?’ CNN Anchor Runs Down Brutal Questions Trump Team Says Hegseth Was Asked
CNN anchor Kate Bolduan and correspondent Kristen Holmes wryly noted the brutal questions that senators asked Pete Hegseth — President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to run the Department of Defense — which were related by a senior Trump official.
Hegseth’s nomination has been endangered by bombshells like a rape allegation and a 2018 email from Penelope Hegseth to her son in which she called him “an abuser of women,” as well as a devastating whistleblower report and allegations of drinking on the job.
Wednesday saw Hegseth make a trip to Capitol Hill to try and rally support for his nomination, while his mother sat for a very friendly Fox News interview.
And while Trump is projecting unwavering support for Hegseth, his senior advisers are feeding uncomfortable information to the press.
On Thursday’s edition of CNN News Central, Bolduan revealed some of the questions Hegseth was asked behind closed doors, and Holmes noted it wasn’t an auspicious start. The in-studio graphic — “Alcoholic? Womanizer? Embezzle Money?” — said it all:
KATE BOLDUAN: Yesterday, according to a senior transition official, Hegseth also faced blunt questions from lawmakers such as “Are you an alcoholic?”.
“Are you a womanizer?”.
“Do you embezzle money?”.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes is in West Palm Beach for us with the very latest on this. What is in store today, Kristen?
KRISTEN HOLMES: Yeah, I can’t. I mean, that’s not really the starting line you want when you walk into these meetings, though he has a full dance card today.
More senators will be back up on Capitol Hill. He, we’re told he’s going to be meeting with Rick Scott, Mike Rounds among them, Tom Cotton, which fun fact about Tom Cotton. He was on the shortlist to be defense secretary before he withdrew his name– to see what these questions actually are.
And one thing to be clear, Donald Trump has not yet pulled his support for Hegseth. But we do expect more serious questions, particularly around his drinking after that report in The Washington Post, after that whistleblower report that The New Yorker published.
Yesterday. Hegseth did, it seemed to try and address this to quell fears about his drinking when he was talking to Megyn Kelly. Take a listen to what he said.
PETE HEGSETH: First of all, I never had a drinking problem. I don’t, I’m never no one’s ever approached me and said, you you should really look at getting help for a drink. Never. I’ve never sought counseling, never sought help. I respect and appreciate people who who do.
KRISTEN HOLMES: So not, again, not the starting point you want when you’re on TV defending yourself and defending your drinking. And these reports obviously allege a drinking problem.
One thing to keep in mind here that we’ve been watching very carefully is how the senators are reacting when they come out of these meetings with Hegseth. Some of them are still mum.
Now, Donald Trump’s team believes that he could still get the votes. They obviously know that this is in peril. They know it’s a dicey situation. They know it’s an uphill battle, but they have not yet pulled their support for him.
One other thing about Hegseth doing that interview. There is a reason you have not seen other cabinet nominees, other administration picks out there on the airwaves. That’s because Donald Trump’s team doesn’t want them out there essentially, quote unquote, “stepping in it” before those confirmation hearings. They are clearly having a strategy here when it comes to Hegseth to try and get him out there to address these issues, whether or not it works. It’s something we’re keeping an eye on, Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN: Yeah, 9LAUGHS) that is exactly right. Whether or not it works.
Watch above via CNN News Central.
