Veterans group's 2016 letter defending Hegseth surfaces amid fight to save his nomination
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Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters after a meeting with Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A board member for a veterans group told Fox News in 2016 that Pete Hegseth had resigned "voluntarily" from the group and was not fired as its leader, according to a private letter obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The eight-year-old letter has surfaced as President-elect Trump's team is trying to save Hegseth's nomination as Defense secretary amid accusations about Hegseth's drinking and conduct toward women.
Zoom in: Randy Lair, a trustee for Concerned Veterans for America, said in the letter than he was writing to Fox News, where Hegseth was a contributor, to "set the record straight" about Hegseth's departure from the group.
- The January 2016 letter appears to be in response to respond to allegations made known to Fox at the time that Hegseth was pushed out as the head of the veterans' advocacy group because of his personal misconduct — claims made public by The New Yorker this week.
- The New Yorker reported that Hegseth was ousted from the group because he was repeatedly intoxicated while acting in his official capacity — to the point of needing to be carried out of the organization's events.
- Hegseth has denied that claim.
In his letter to Fox, Lair wrote that Hegseth, who led the CVA from 2013 to 2016, resigned as CEO "as a result of a difference of opinion as to the future of the organization and so that he could focus on other endeavors, including his relationship with Fox News."
- He said Hegseth was not terminated and that CVA and Hegseth mutually agreed that the end of 2015 was the best timing for him to resign.
The big picture: Wednesday was a crucial day for Hegseth's nomination, as Trump's team had him meeting Republican senators on Capitol Hill and making media appearances to defend his character.
- He was scheduled to meet with four Republican senators, some of whom have made clear he will need to answer for allegations of alcohol abuse and mistreatment of women.
- They include the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Armed Services members Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). Hegseth also met with John Thune (R-S.D.), who will be the Senate majority leader in the congressional session that begins next month.
- Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the 100-member Senate next year, so Hegseth — who's very unlikely to get any support from Democrats — can't lose more than three GOP votes to be confirmed.
Hegseth's media blitz included his mother, Penelope Hegseth, who appeared on Fox News to defend her son and play down a letter she wrote to him several years ago criticizing his character and treatment of women.
- Hegseth also met with Trump, and told Sirius XM's Megyn Kelly afterward that Trump had told him, "I got your back."
