Hegseth suggested the damaging allegations against him are politically motivated. "The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents," he said.

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick to lead the defense department, told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday morning that the president-elect still stands behind him after the New York Times published a leaked email from his mother saying he abuses women and anonymous sources said he was drunk on the job while working at FOX News.