What to know about Pete Hegseth, Trump's embattled pick for Defense secretary

The latest: Hegseth has repeatedly denied all of the accusations. In an interview with Megyn Kelly Wednesday, Hegseth said he'd been the target of a smear campaign and still retained Trump's full support.

• Yet Trump is reportedly also considering alternative options, including replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Hegseth's views on the military

A U.S. Army veteran, Hegseth has expressed views on the military that have raised eyebrows.

• In an interview last month, Hegseth said the military "allowed itself to go woke" and that women shouldn't serve in combat roles.
• He urged firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• Generals and admirals "involved in any of the DEI woke s--t has got to go," he said. "Either you're in for war fighting and that's it, that's the only litmus test we care about. You gotta get DEI and CRT out of military academies."

Zoom in: In his new book, "The War on Warriors," published this summer, Hegseth echoed Trump's rhetoric about fighting the "enemy from within."

• "Our soul is under attack by a confederacy of radicals," Hegseth wrote in the book, adding that "America's domestic enemies at home" had been allowed to "gobble up cultural, political and spiritual territory."
• Hegseth privately encouraged Trump during his first term to pardon some U.S. servicemen accused of war crimes, CNN reported in 2019.

Fox News tenure

• Hegseth joined Fox as a contributor in 2014. He's a co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend" and a host of Fox Nation, per his website.
• He's a commentator on daytime and primetime major programs on the network and has guest-hosted for programs including "The Five," "Hannity," "The Ingraham Angle" and "Jesse Watters Primetime."
• On Fox Nation, he's hosted ongoing series about the military, Israel, education, history and Christianity.
• He also hosts the network's annual Nation Patriot Awards.

Zoom in: Ten of Hegseth's current and former Fox News colleagues have also raised concerns about his alcohol habits, NBC News reported, citing unnamed sources.

• Hegseth's lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, refuted the allegations, telling Axios that the reports about Hegseth's alcohol use were "entirely false."

Hegseth's time in Army

• Hegseth is a veteran of Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, having served as an infantry officer.

• He earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman's Badge.
• He's the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a conservative veterans advocacy organization backed by Charles and David Koch.

Hegseth's education

• Hegseth has a bachelor's degree in politics from Princeton University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
• On his website, he touted mailing his master's degree back to Harvard.

Hegseth's mother and divorce

• Hegseth married Jennifer Rauchet in 2019. The couple met at Fox while he was in a previous marriage, per CNN, and they disclosed their relationship to the network's management when Rauchet was pregnant.
• They each have three children from earlier marriages. The couple and their seven children live outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

Between the lines: Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, has come under focus in the wake of his nomination.

• The New York Times reported that in 2018 she sent an email to her son accusing him of having been an "abuser of women" for years.
• But in a Fox News interview Wednesday, Penelope Hegseth said she had quickly regretted the email and apologized. Her son, she said, had changed and "does not misuse women."

Go deeper:

• Trump picks Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary
• Trump administration 2.0: Tracking his Cabinet, White House picks

Editor's note: This story was updated with new developments.