GOP senator lashes out at 'hypocritical' CNN over audio of Hegseth 'talking about drinking at 10 a.m.'

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) on Sunday accused CNN’s Jake Tapper and others in the media of being “hypocritical” in their coverage of Donald Trump’s secretary of defense pick Pete Hegseth — particularly regarding claims the combat veteran abuses alcohol.

New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer last week reported Hegseth “was forced,” under pressure, “to step down” as president of of the nonprofit advocacy group Concerned Veterans for America over questions "about his mismanagement and abuse of alcohol on the job.”

Wednesday, the Washington Post revealed even more evidence of Hegseth’s problem drinking.

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The Post reported, “At Fox News, Hegseth had a reputation as a heavy drinker, according to six former Fox News employees who worked directly with Hegseth and saw him drinking on the job or visibly drunk at work events and who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation."

Tapper on Sunday noted Hegseth this week told former Fox News co-host Megyn Kelly he’s “never had a drinking problem.”

“No one's ever approached me and said, oh you you should really look at getting help for a drink,” Hegseth told Kelly on Wednesday. ”Never. I've never sought counseling, never sought help. I respect and appreciate people who who do.”

Tapper, speaking with Mullin, then played an audio clip of Hegseth “[describing] his experience with alcohol after returning from Iraq." That audio was likewise reported Wednesday by the Washington Post.

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“I’d look around at 10 o’clock and be like, ‘What am I going to do today?’” Hegseth said on the “The Will Cain Show" in 2021. “How about I drink some beers? How about I go have some lunch and have some beers? How about I meet my one or two buddies and have some beers?’ And one beers leads to many, leads to self-medication, leads to ‘I’ve earned this.’ Like, ‘Don’t tell me I can’t.’”

Tapper said the Cain show clip seems like Hegseth "[is ] describing having a drinking problem.”

“How do you reconcile that with him now claiming that he's never had an issue with alcohol?” Tapper asked.

“That wasn't him saying he had an alcohol problem,” Mullin claimed. “That was him being honest.”

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Mullin argued “a lot of our combat vets have come back and faced the same thing” as Hegseth and “turn to drinking with their buddies.”

“That doesn't mean that they had a drinking problem,” Mullin claimed. “That means that every combat veteran has had the same issues.”

“What he was describing is what most combat veterans have faced," Mullin continued. "And for the media to go after him and start describing that as a 'drinking problem' is individuals that doesn't understand combat veterans because they've never been there, they've never been in combat."

“I think it's hypocritical for them to even question that now,” the senator added. “If he did have a drinking problem, that would be obvious. But to make something out of it that isn't there just because he's going through secretary of defense, the media should be ashamed of themselves. They should put themselves in their shoes and every other combat veterans' shoes before they go out there and criticize him."

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Tapper, a vocal supporter of Homes For Our Troops, told Mullin he’s “done a lot of coverage of veterans and a lot of coverage of combat,” and “[has] an understanding of the need of our valiant troops when they come home to self-medicate.”

“What I'm saying is, when you're talking about drinking at ten in the morning, that's a drinking problem,” Tapper said. “Now it doesn't mean that there should be a stigma.”

“There's a lot of politicians that have a drinking problem, Jake,” Mullin shot back.

“Yes, of course,” Tapper replied.

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“And then there's probably a lot of media that has a drinking problem too,” Mullin continued. “And now I don't drink. I’ve never — I haven’t — well, I haven't tasted alcohol in many, many, many years and, and never have drank at all in my life really. And so I really don't understand that. But there's a lot of alcohol that flows through Washington D.C. on a regular basis. And I wouldn't say that people are alcoholics or they have a drinking problem because of that. I don't see it at all. I don't see that being a problem. And I really wish that the media would move on and start focusing on what he can bring as secretary of defense because he has a lot of good attributes too. But we only focus on the negative and we get so caught up on running at negatives.”

Mullin went on to claim both he and Tapper “have a past, and our listeners have a past too,” arguing Hegseth “[is] not hiding from his past.”

“He’s answering the questions of his past -- that doesn't disqualify him from being secretary of defense, though,” Mullin said.

Tapper pointed out that asking questions is “part of the process” for confirming Cabinet members.

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“A drunk reporter who's drinking at 10 a.m. for whatever reason is not in charge of the 3 million person Defense Department,” Tapper explained. “And so there is a difference.”

Watch the video below or at this link.