Some Republican senators expressed surprise and little knowledge of exactly who President-elect Donald Trump is choose for etcdefense minister does.
“Wow,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, after Trump announced former National Guard member and Fox News anchor Pete Hegsett as his pick for the top job.
“I’m just surprised because he’s not in the list of names I’ve heard for defense secretary,” Murkowski said.
Trump on Tuesday called Hegsett, 44, “tough, smart and a true believer in America.”
Some senators did not know who Hexeth was or much about him.
“TOP?” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, responded when asked about the choice. “I don’t know Pete. I just don’t know anything about him.”
Any choice for Secretary of Defense must be confirmed by the Senate It will be under Republican controlAccording to NBC News predictions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., weighed in, calling Hegsett a “great choice.”
“Pete brings a lot to the table. He has experience and I think he will be inclined to reform in areas that need reform.” Johnson said.
Rep. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, expressed confidence. “I think he will be a very strong defense secretary,” he said.
“I was surprised I didn’t hear his name mentioned,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma.
“But there are also a few names that come out of left field,” Mullin said. “That’s where President Trump is really good at putting people in their place.”
Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina called Hegsett “an impressive man” and predicted he would have no problem getting confirmed in the Senate.
“Look, there are a lot of great choices, and I’m certainly going to support President Trump, his agenda and his candidates,” Budd said. He said he thinks Hegseth is capable and “knows how to put a great team around him.”
Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota also said he was surprised by the pick, but that Trump has done a “great job” with his picks so far.
“I’m not going to be negative right now because I want to learn more about his background and, you know, and his approach to these things, so he’s going to go through a regular process,” he said.
Hegseth is a combat veteran who served as a captain in the Army National Guard. He served overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Guantánamo.
In 2014, he started working at Fox News, and in 2017 he became the host of “FOX & Friends Weekend”. The network reported on this. His last day at Fox News was Tuesday, the same day as Trump’s announcement, the network said.
Phil Helsel and Associated Press contributed.