Graham Statement On Meeting With Secretary Of Defense Nominee Pete Hegseth

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after meeting with President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

"I had a very positive, thorough and candid meeting with Pete Hegseth about his nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense. I appreciated how forthright and forthcoming he was.

"I have known Pete for many years, and I am familiar with his service in Afghanistan, as I was doing my reserve duty at the same time. Everyone in his unit in Afghanistan - including our Afghan partners - had nothing but great things to say about Pete. He is smart, passionate, and loves our men and women in uniform and our country.

"The accusations being made regarding financial management of veterans service organizations and personal misconduct should only be considered by the committee if they are supported by testimony before Congress - not anonymous sources.

"When it comes to supporting presidential cabinet nominees, I have a record of being supportive regardless of party because I think every president deserves the right to pick their team.

"The confirmation process for all nominees does and should allow for challenging questions, and I expect that to be the case here. However, I told Pete that he will be given the opportunity to defend himself and that his confirmation hearing should not be allowed to become a three-ring circus."

####