Hegseth says media is just trying to ‘smear’ him

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, likened the criticism he is facing to what Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh confronted when he was nominated by Mr. Trump.

Speaking with Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show, “The Megyn Kelly Show,” after his visit to Capitol Hill Wednesday, Mr. Hegseth said a lawmaker told him that he is experiencing the media’s “playbook” for attacking nominees of Republican presidents.

Justice Kavanaugh, like Mr. Hegseth, faced sexual assault allegations and scrutiny after he was nominated in 2018.

“Trump stood by him. What you’re seeing right now with me, is the art of the smear. It is the classic art of the smear,” Mr. Hegseth told Ms Kelly.

He said that Mr. Trump spoke with him and offered up his support, telling him that he chose him because he’s a “war fighter and will put other war fighters first.”

“Ultimately he reiterated the same thing this morning: ‘Hey Pete, I got your back. It’s a fight. They’re coming after you get after it,’” he said.

Mr. Hegseth admitted that there are “tiny kernels of truth” in some of the allegations against him, but said they’re being blown out of proportion “into a masquerade of a narrative about somebody that I’m definitely not.”

Mr. Hegseth has faced multiple sexual assault, infidelity and alcoholism allegations, calling into question whether he is appropriate for the job. While some Republican lawmakers have come out in support of him, others have signaled that the allegations against him are troubling.

He said in the interview that the media has only focused on the negative, and haven’t spoken with others who will sing his praises.

“What they never quote, and we will get into this, too, are the legions of people from who I serve with in combat, multiple tours from the multiple veterans organizations that I very proudly ran, and I really want to get into that. And my time at Fox News, they never asked the people closest to me,” he said. “They never asked the people who were involved directly.”

He said the media attention was just a “smear.”

“It’s a couple anonymous nuggets, usually from disgruntled people who are fired for cause, who are jealous or want a little bit of retribution,” he said. “And so they pedal stuff to reporters who are not interested in the truth. They’re interested in smearing someone who supports Donald Trump’s agenda. It’s really clear. I’m in the middle of it.”

He said an unidentified lawmaker warned him of the media, “‘That’s their playbook. Get ready for more, and they’re going to make it up just like they have so far. All anonymous, all innuendo, all rumor, nothing sourced, no verification. And they’re just going to keep doing it because you’re a threat to them. You’re a threat to all the things in Washington, D.C., the swamp, the things that people have rejected, you’re a threat to that. And so they’re coming after you.’”

“And I know that,” Mr. Hegseth told Ms. Kelly. “[Mr. Trump] knows that. And when you stand firm on that, it’s not difficult to just continue to fight. So yeah, we saw what happened, but guess what happened? [Justice] Kavanaugh stood up and he fought and he won. And hopefully Republicans have learned that lesson.”

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal published Wednesday, Mr. Hegseth reiterated his promise that he “won’t back down” and that the press is just trying to “smear” him.

“They provide no evidence, no names, and they ignore the legions of people who speak on my behalf,” he wrote. “They need to create a bogeyman, because they believe I threaten their institutional insanity. That is the only thing they are right about.”

“Talk to those who served with me in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan or the National Guard. They support me, and I’m honored by that. I have never backed down from a fight and won’t back down from this one,” he said.

Mr. Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill three times now to meet with Republican senators and discuss the path forward with the nomination. He is expected to continue meeting with senators.