A new report says that President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be his nominee for defense secretary, potentially replacing Fox News host Pete Hegseth.
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The report comes from CBS News, which cited three sources familiar with the possible decision on Tuesday night. The Wall Street Journal also reported the possible nod for DeSantis.
A spokesperson for DeSantis shared no comment on the reports, and another for Trump also declined to comment.
The decision to replace Hegseth could come after several negative reports about Hegseth surfaced, including some involving allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veteran’s charities, abuse of alcohol, and infidelity.
Hegseth has been meeting with Senate Republicans to try and build support for his confirmation hearings, though at least four Republican senators have reportedly said they would withhold support for him if the vote was today, CBS News reported.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shared with reporters on Tuesday that only “time will tell” when asked about Hegseth’s potential confirmation.
“Some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is, it’s going to be difficult,” Graham said.
Hegseth and his legal representation have denied the allegations brought against him in the reports.
As for DeSantis, if selected to replace Hegseth, he would bring a military background to the position, having been commissioned into the US Navy as a JAG officer while he attended Harvard Law School. He later served in Iraq and eventually earned a Bronze Star.
DeSantis has had a fiery past with Trump, taking countless shots from the president-elect after he unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nominee. Among the nicknames Trump called DeSantis, Meatball Ron was one of the most aggressive.
However, the men have appeared to come to an understanding, with DeSantis endorsing Trump after dropping out of the race in January.
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