Senator backs Trump’s Pentagon pick despite controversy


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Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, conveyed to Newsmax on Friday that President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is “the kind of leader we need” amidst apprehensions about his prospects of being confirmed by the Senate.

Hegseth has dedicated a significant portion of this week to meeting with GOP senators, striving to garner support for his bid to lead the Pentagon while refuting allegations of sexual assault and on-the-job intoxication leveled against him.

Cramer informed “Wake Up America” that he had “a great meeting” with Hegseth on Friday morning, adding, “It was productive. It was frank. It was maybe even a little uncomfortable at moments. But we’re all adults and I was very pleased.”

Cramer noted that he posed “a lot of tough questions” to Hegseth. “He had all the right answers, and more importantly, I believed him … I believed Pete, looking him eyeball to eyeball, talking to his wife a little bit.”

The senator went on to assert that the allegations made against Hegseth are “a smear campaign with a lot of exaggeration.”

He stated, “He and I may have some disagreements on a policy issue or two, but by and large, I like him a lot. I like what he brings to the fight, and it is a fight. I’m glad that he’s hanging in there and that the president wants him to hang in there because I think some things are worth fighting for, and this is.”

Cramer continued, “Obviously, Department of Defense and secretary of defense is a very, very important position in any administration. But particularly at a time when the world is on fire, American leadership is in high demand, and I think Pete’s the kind of leader we need.”

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