Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Newsmax on Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, should continue to "meet with senators" to defend himself against recent allegations about his drinking habits and claims of sexual misconduct and to make his case for the Pentagon.
Hegseth began meeting with GOP senators on Wednesday in an effort to shore up support for his bid for secretary of defense, with several more meetings planned for Thursday, amid rumors that he may be replaced as the nominee by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Johnson did note on "Wake Up America" that DeSantis is "a better choice than our current choice" in many ways, noting that DeSantis is "the sitting governor, two-term governor of one of the largest states in the nation" and "a veteran."
But Johnson said that's a "discussion for another day" as long as Hegseth is Trump's choice.
"Let's let Pete Hegseth meet with senators," Johnson said, adding that "he wrote an excellent article in The Wall Street Journal laying out his positions." Johnson called Hegseth "one of the finest among us" and praised his service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Senators need to meet with him again," Johnson added. "The one time I met him, he seemed very, very, very intelligent, articulate with a … very, very good focus on the mission that our Defense Department ought to have as opposed to what its focus has been under Biden."
Johnson said that during a group meeting on Wednesday, Hegseth "laid forward a very convincing case in terms of what his priorities would be as secretary of defense and its return of American military to military that is focused on defending this nation, that is lethal, that … is not concerned more about wokeness and DEI that affects our military readiness, but really focuses on what our military's mission should be, which is defending this country."
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