Fetterman won’t rule out backing Hegseth as he becomes first Senate Democrat to meet with him

Washington (CNN) — Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said he expects to bring up a series of allegations against Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, when the two men sit down for their first meeting later Thursday.

“I know there haven’t been any formal charges or criminal ones. But it’s all - one of the things that I’m sure perhaps might come up in that conversation today,” Fetterman told CNN, when asked about allegations including excessive drinking and sexual assault. “But I am aware there are some allegations, of course.”

Notably, Fetterman is not ruling out support for Hegseth ahead of his meeting, which will make him the first Senate Democrat to sit down with Trump’s defense pick.

Asked about his expectations for the meeting, Fetterman told CNN: “We’re just going to have a straight-up conversation.”

“Honestly, I’d never heard of him before he was nominated. So it’s an opportunity to just have a discussion on … issues. I suspect there are some things we might agree on in terms of military, whether its China or Israel, and maybe disagree, perhaps on Ukraine,” Fetterman said. “But I think it’s an opportunity to have a conversation.”

And Fetterman dismissed potential backlash from his own party for meeting with one of Trump’s most contentious Cabinet nominees. He has already met with another one of Trump’s picks: Rep. Elise Stefanik, who Trump has chosen to be US ambassador to the United Nations.

“I’m not sure why it’d be controversial to anybody if he’s the individual who could potentially be the next secretary of defense. I’m not just a senator for Pennsylvania, for my voters or Democrats, it’s for all of us,” he said, adding that he has received “a lot” of supportive calls into his office, asking him to have the conversation with Trump nominees.

“That’s why I have decided to engage with people who are going to be incredibly important parts of the new administration,” he said. As for Democrats who complain that Fetterman’s decision to meet with Hegseth is giving Trump a bipartisan win, Fetterman said: “Those individuals can vent or rant on Twitter but I’m here to have conversations, and I think I’m just doing my job.”

Ahead of the meeting, Hegseth told CNN that he is not approaching meetings with Democrats any differently than his GOP sit-downs.

“I’m the same person in all the meetings,” Hegseth told CNN.

“There’s nothing political about the DoD. We want to make sure politics is not a part of it,” Hegseth said ahead of the meeting. “So meeting with Democrats, just like meeting with Republicans, is a huge part of our approach.”

The-CNN-Wire
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