Pete Hegseth said Wednesday he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed by the Senate to lead the Pentagon as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary and vowed to fight through a tumultuous nomination process amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
Hegseth’s commitment follows a story published by the New Yorker that cited a whistleblower report alleging Hegseth was repeatedly intoxicated in his previous role as president of the nonprofit Concerned Veterans for America, even to the point of having to be carried out of the group’s events. He has denied the report.
In an interview with Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show, Hegseth ‒ a former Fox News host and Army veteran ‒ referenced “general order number 1,” which prohibits military personnel from consuming alcohol during deployment.
“That’s how I view this role as Secretary of Defense is, I’m not going to have a drink, at all. And it’s not hard for me because it’s not a problem for me,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth added that he needs to make sure senators, U.S. troops, Trump and others know “when you call me 24/7, you’re getting fully dialed-in Pete, just like you always did in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“So this is the biggest deployment of my life, and there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it,” he said.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/12/04/pete-hegseth-alcohol-defense-secretary/76775516007/