Reports are coming in that President-elect Donald Trump is considering replacing Pete Hegseth with Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis as defense secretary. These are just the conversations we’re hearing about from the report on CBS News, who says this possibility is connected to Hegseth’s controversy.
A lot of leaves would need to shake out of a tree for this to actually happen, though. For example, DeSantis would need to agree to it. Then DeSantis gets a replacement governor to take over. That’s just two major hurdles, but likely the largest issues. But let’s see what this is all about from the CBS report:
This comes as Hegseth, who has been meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill this week to try to build support ahead of his confirmation hearings, has faced a round of negative stories involving allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans’ charities, repeated intoxication and infidelity.
Hegseth will need to tell his side of the story. Politicians have a history of attacking each other, so this must be investigated to see if any of it is true. Obviously, we know politicians smear each other up and down – just look at what’s happened to Donald Trump over the last eight years. The CBS report continued:
“Some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is, it’s going to be difficult,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters Tuesday. “Time will tell.”
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who noted he has also read the reporting and is aware of the allegations, said Hegseth will have to address them. “I want to know if they are true and I want to hear his side of the story and he is going to have to address them,” he said Tuesday, adding that he wasn’t sure if Hegseth’s nomination would face headwinds.
Kennedy said the right thing. Hegseth needs to figure it out and Kennedy wants to know if any of these things are true or not.
Lindsey Graham is another story. He’s been a do-nothing self-absorbed clown for as many years as I can count. If there’s one Republican who wastes everyone’s time, it’s Lindsey Graham. This is the kind of politician who would go whichever way the wind was blowing if it was in his favor.
Donald Trump should stay far away from Lindsey Graham.
