Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army veteran, is being dogged by claims involving alleged sexual assault and public drunkenness and has spent the week meeting with Republican senators to ensure he has the votes to pass, even though there are serious doubts he has the numbers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing I\u2019m picking up is a level of discomfort and uncertainty. People want to know who their leadership is going to be and what they\u2019re going to be asked to do, these are professionals who can put personal feelings aside,\u201d said one Pentagon official, who like others was granted anonymity to speak candidly on a sensitive subject.<\/p>\n

The official also noted that the Trump team\u2019s delay in signing an agreement with the White House means the Pentagon and other agencies are in a holding pattern until transition officials are in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe facts that Hegseth\u2019s past has jeopardized his nomination and that the transition team still isn\u2019t in the building will just make it harder for the incoming administration to lead DOD,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n

A DOD spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

President-elect Donald Trump is, for now, standing by his pick, posting on social media Friday morning<\/a> that \u201cPete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,\u201d Trump posted.<\/p>\n

Hegseth is already a polarizing figure, and officials at the Pentagon say there\u2019s no unified response to the specter of him taking over the department. Hegseth is an outspoken opponent of Biden-era policies on diversity, equity and inclusion and he has promised, as has Trump, to role back the initiatives immediately.<\/p>\n

But Hegseth has also said women should not be deployed inside combat units.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s split on Hegseth,\u201d a second Pentagon official said. \u201cSome are really happy he\u2019s going after the \u2026 DEI stuff and focusing on lethality, but his comments on women \u2014 and some of his alleged conduct \u2014 are troublesome to many.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reaction isn\u2019t as mixed about Trump\u2019s pick for the Pentagon\u2019s No. 2 job, private equity executive Stephen Feinberg. The secretive billionaire financier with no experience in the agency has a long track record in the defense industrial world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are very excited for Feinberg,\u201d the second official said.<\/p>\n

Despite all the opinions on Hegseth, officials are still speaking in hushed tones about the nomination, especially since Hegseth has said Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown and other top leaders should be fired<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone is trying not to talk about it for fear of being the one getting caught saying anything,\u201d a third Pentagon official said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"