As Vice President-elect Sen. J.D. Vance walked the marble halls of the Capitol this week and attended Wednesday's Republican Conference lunch to advocate for Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, the host's colleagues back at Fox News were also working the phones.
At least two senators have been contacted by people who work with the Fox and Friends Weekend co-host.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story that Hegseth's Fox colleagues got in touch with him and he considers them "pretty solid references," given that they work with him daily.
"I think most of us have a bias toward supporting the president’s nominees. I think there’s no doubt that Pete's doing a good job meeting people, and I would say also his colleagues at Fox who reached out — they reached out to me — and really giving him just stellar recommendations."
While Johnson said speaking with former colleagues as references is "what you do with any job interview," the secretary of defense is second only to the president as commander-in-chief in charge of the military.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told Raw story one Fox colleague had reached out to him directly, and the senator had called three more.
"They love him," he said. "It's very reassuring."
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) told Raw Story "of course" the current relationship between Fox News and the Republican Party is worrisome.
"It's ridiculous," he said.
Tester wasn't aware that Hegseth's colleagues were reaching out to senators.
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"They’re gonna do what they wanna do. I just hope that the person who gets in that position, they’re up for the task and the job, Tester said. "It’s a really important damn job, and that’s the point. It isn’t good guy, bad guy. Doesn’t matter. You gotta be up for the job."
Since Trump nominated Hegseth on Nov. 12, his fitness for the position has been scrutinized. NBC reported that 10 of Hegseth's colleagues at Fox had concerns about his drinking, some allegedly smelling alcohol on him before going on the air. The New Yorker reported that Hegseth was forced out of other previous leadership positions for intoxication on the job, sexist comments and financial mismanagement.
As part of a nondisclosure agreement, Hegseth paid a settlement to a woman who accused him of raping her after drinking at a hotel bar. The Washington Post reported that he claimed the payment was made out of fear of "immediate termination from Fox."
“President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, told the Washington Post.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told Raw Story he had "not yet" been contacted by Hegseth's Fox News peers but agreed there'd been a change in the mood from Republicans this week towards supporting Hegseth.
"I think you'd expect that. Several senators had talked to him, and they were somewhat satisfied," Grassley said.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said he hadn't been contacted by people at Fox News. Both he and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) laughed when Raw Story asked if they were disappointed that Hegseth's colleagues hadn't called.
Hawley said he'd "be happy to talk" with Hegseth's colleagues and found co-hosts vouching for him, particularly regarding concerns about drinking, to be "reasonable and "not unusual."
Trump's decision to nominate cabinet members with strong connections to Fox News appears to be a strategic choice, Hawley said.
"I defer to the president's thinking on this. It seems like to me that he clearly wants people who can defend his policies on TV, in front of the media, so I think clearly he's thinking about if people can talk to reporters," Hawley told Raw Story.
A spokesperson for Fox did not immediately respond to Raw Story's request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Trump's campaign.