There are all kinds of reports hitting about Pete Hegseth that are likely to derail his nomination as Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth was already in trouble, with several Republicans already voicing concerns about his experience.
Added to the allegations being made now, while Trump is telling Hegseth to hang in there, it appears that Trump is locked and loaded with a replacement.
Tough Road
By now, I am sure you all know about the sexual misconduct allegations made against Hegseth.
These allegations had been previously investigated, and police found that there was no evidence of the woman’s story.
Even so, Hegseth did settle with the woman to make the story go away.
Now, more reports are breaking about Hegseth drinking too much, looking the other way when staffers were sexually harassing female staffers, and questionable behavior in public.
To me, this nomination is sunk, and that is probably a good thing as I have had serious reservations about Hegseth from the outset.
So, who would replace Hegseth? Rumors are that Trump has already reached out to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to head the Pentagon if Hegseth crashes and burns.
Remember, DeSantis made it clear that he wanted to clean up the Pentagon if he were elected.
During his campaign, he stated, “Our mantra on Jan. 20, 2025, as commander-in-chief will be very simple: mission first, accomplish the mission.
“We also have to ensure that there’s good order and discipline on military installations. Having things like drag shows on military bases should not be allowed.”
Although there would likely be concerns about DeSantis’ military career, meaning he was a not a career sailor and left the service as a Lt. Commander, I still think he would sail through the nomination process.
The question then becomes who the favorite heading into the 2028 election would be.
Right now, that would be JD Vance, but if Trump appoints DeSantis as his Sec. of Defense, it would likely give DeSantis an enormous boost, so it will be interesting to see how Vance and DeSantis get along knowing they are likely adversaries in the 2028 primary race.
