Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said Friday that combat veteran Pete Hegseth is "the right guy" to lead the Department of Defense and ensured that President-elect Donald Trump will not abandon the nomination.
Vance spoke with reporters in Fairview, North Carolina, while visiting areas in the western part of the state devastated by Hurricane Helene. He said he has spoken with a number of senators, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who have reservations about Hegseth's nomination, The Hill reported.
"Importantly, Pete Hegseth is going to get his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, not a sham hearing before the American media," Vance said. "We believe that Pete Hegseth is the right guy to lead the Department of Defense, that's why President Trump nominated him.
"We're not abandoning this nomination."
Hegseth, a former Fox News host who earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge during his Army career while serving in Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan, has faced intense scrutiny because of allegations of sexual misconduct. He spent this week meeting with GOP senators and vowing not to step aside.
The Hill reported Thursday that as many as eight Republican senators are prepared to vote against Hegseth, but most are not willing to publicly call for him to resign because they don't want to anger Trump's base.
"All I'm asking is that people actually allow the Senate process to work," Vance said. "We do not determine important government officials based on anonymous sourcing from the American media."