Pete Hegseth reveals Trump's message to him on Megyn Kelly and claims he'll 'never back down'

Pete Hegseth admitted that determination is immoderate information to the damning reports that person formed doubts implicit whether helium volition stay Donald Trump's prime to pb the Defense Department.

The erstwhile Fox News big said helium received words of encouragement from Trump erstwhile they spoke Wednesday greeting amid a flurry of quality reports containing allegations against Hegseth.

From the get go, Hegseth was a arguable prime successful portion owed to his much fringe views – similar saying women should not service successful combat roles successful the military.

But other, much concerning reports emerged implicit the past 2 weeks, including claims of intersexual harassment; allegations that helium was carried retired of events connected works trips due to the fact that helium was excessively drunk and would routinely portion connected the job; and a New York Times study publishing a 2018 email from his parent calling Hegseth an 'abuser of women.'

Hegseth told Megyn Kelly connected her amusement determination are 'kernels of truth' is immoderate reporting that helium claims person been blown into thing that present much resembled a lie.

He besides published an op/ed with the Wall Street Journal wherever helium admitted to sometimes having immoderate alcohol with different subject members 'to negociate the world of what we had faced' successful warfare zones.

Speaking to Kelly, Hegseth elaborate his speech with Trump connected Wednesday and says helium was provided words of encouragement from the president-elect to proceed his Capitol Hill run to lobby senators to ballot for his confirmation successful the New Year.

'He supports me. We talked,' Hegseth said of his speech with Trump. 'He said, you spell conscionable those senators and I've got your back.'

The father-of-seven besides recalled to Kelly however Trump said: 'Pete, I've got your back. It's a fight, they're coming aft you. Get aft it.'

Kelly asked Hegseth if helium felt similar helium was getting the aforesaid media attraction arsenic Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh received during his confirmation process.

'I had a subordinate not 45 minutes agone look maine successful the oculus successful private, conscionable helium and I, and say: 'That's what they're trying to bash to you.''

''That's their playbook, get acceptable for more. And they're going to marque it up, conscionable similar they did truthful far. All anonymous, each innuendo, each rumor, thing sourced, nary verification. And they're conscionable going to support doing it. Because you're a menace to them,'' helium continued successful recollecting what a Republican lawmaker told him.

Hegseth, however, lauded the Trump nominee who went connected to beryllium confirmed: 'Kavanaugh stood up and helium fought and helium won. And hopefully Republicans person learned that lesson.'

'Trump stood by him,' helium added. 'What you're seeing close present with maine is the creation of the smear.'

'Take immoderate tiny kernels of information – and determination are tiny, tiny ones successful determination – and stroke them up into a masquerade of a communicative astir idiosyncratic that I americium decidedly not,' Hegseth concluded.

Some of the astir damning reports allege that Hegseth routinely would get drunk oregon portion excessively portion moving astatine veterans organizations arsenic good arsenic erstwhile helium was a big astatine Fox News.

In the Journal op/ed penned connected Wednesday, Trump's Pentagon main prime acknowledged that helium wasn't ever cleanable erstwhile helium was helping pb the inaugural astatine Vets for Freedom and sometimes mightiness person had a fewer excessively galore beers.

'We weren't perfect, but we were ever honorable and earnest,' helium admitted. 'We raised wealth honestly and spent it earnestly—to beforehand our cause. We weren't governmental experts, but we were patriotic believers.'

'Like veterans returning from immoderate war, we drank beers to negociate the world of what we had faced,' helium wrote. 'But we ne'er did thing improper, and we treated everyone with respect. We had a caller ngo and fought for it.'

When Trump told the seasoned that helium would nominate him arsenic the adjacent Defense Secretary, Hegseth claimed helium told him: 'You're going to request to beryllium pugnacious arsenic shit.'