Pete Hegseth’s nomination hinges on key senator as more details emerge on alcohol consumption – US politics live | Trump administration

Fox News human resources investigated Pete Hegseth After the husband of a woman he was having an affair with attended an employee-only Christmas party at the network eight years ago, The New York Times reported.

Hegseth later married his then-lover, Jennifer Smokeswho was a producer of the show “Fox & Friends” at the time of the incident. The episode threatens to become another troubling incident that could anger Republican senators over his candidacy for defense secretary.

Here’s more about what happened, from the Times:

The “Fox & Friends” Christmas party at a New York bowling alley in 2016 was a low point. Mr. Hegseth, who was married to his second wife with whom he had three children, had an affair with Ms. Rauchet, a producer on the show.

Her husband, who suspected an affair, showed up at the party, although the event was limited to Fox News employees, and Mr. Hegseth, who had been drinking, was upset to see him, according to people with knowledge of the incident.

Employees reported that Mr. Hegseth caused a disturbance, a complaint that human resources directed directly to him, according to one of the people familiar with the situation. After Mr. Hegseth and Ms. Rauchet disclosed their relationship with Fox News in late 2016, Ms. Rauchet was transferred to a similar position at Fox News.

The Times also reported an incident in which Hegseth was so drunk at a Fox News colleague’s wedding that his friends had to drive him home so he could get to work on time:

The following December, Mr. Hegseth got so drunk at a Fox News producer’s wedding that he had trouble standing upright in the men’s room, according to two people with direct knowledge of the episode who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation . Friends asked a producer who was on site to drive Mr. Hegseth home so he could be on set by 6 a.m., they said.

Good morning, US Politics Blog readers. Donald Trump‘s candidate for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegsethwill be on Capitol Hill again today to try to convince Republican senators that he is the right man to lead the Pentagon. Reports of excessive drinking, financial mismanagement and poor treatment of women, as well as an allegation of sexual assault, have dogged his nomination in recent days, and several conservative lawmakers expressed doubts about approving him for the post. But the most important voice that will decide his fate has not yet spoken out: the Republican senator from Iowa Joni Ernst. The Army veteran and sexual assault survivor met with Hegseth yesterday but made little public comment about their conversation. Their views on him will be crucial in determining whether the former Fox News host’s nomination moves forward or goes in the right direction Matt Gaetz.

Meanwhile, The New York Times has uncovered more details about incidents Hegseth was involved in during his employment at the conservative network. These include another story of him drinking excessively, as well as an incident at a Christmas party eight years ago that led to an investigation by Fox News human resources. We’ll see what Republican senators have to say about it today.

Here’s what else is going on:

• Joe Biden And Kamala Harris will be together in public again at 6 p.m. ET to light the national Christmas tree in front of the White House. The couple hasn’t been seen together much since Harris lost the presidential election to Trump last month.

• Elon Musk And Vivek Ramaswamy are headed to the Capitol today to promote the Department for Government Efficiency, their unorthodox, Trump-approved idea to slash spending and shrink Washington’s federal agencies.

• The House Committee The investigation into the attempted assassination of Trump will hear testimony from the acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jrand will also mark its final report.