Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shut down the unproven rumors brought against him during an interview with conservative commentator Megyn Kelly in December. Before Hegseth’s successful nomination, several anonymous accusations were brought against him, swaying the faith of several lawmakers within the Republican Party.
Kelly addressed one of the rumors hurled at Hegseth, which claimed he had a problem with alcohol abuse. Hegseth quickly shut this down, stating, “That’s there’s an interesting one there. First of all, never had a drinking problem. I don’t. No one’s ever approached me and said, ‘Oh, you, you should really look at getting help for a drink.’ Never. I’ve never sought counseling, never sought help. I respect and appreciate people who who do.”
However, Hegseth pointed out that many veterans tragically turn to substance abuse to deal with the horrors of war. “But you know, what do guys do when they come back for more often times, have some beers. You know? How do you deal with the demons you see on the battlefield? Sometimes it’s with a bottle. Unfortunately, tragically, for too many guys, it’s with the bottle, and then it’s depression and even worse, suicide.”
The secretary gave glory to God that he was led away from alcohol upon returning from combat, but noted the scale of the veteran suicide issue. “I mean, we’ve got an epidemic of that in our country. Thank God. By the grace of God, I found my chapters of purpose that pulled me out of that I found, in many ways, I found two things, my two js, my Jenny, my wife, Jennifer, changed my life, saved me.”
He continued, “There’s just no doubt about it, and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and without those two J’s, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now, but with those two J’s, like my mom said this morning, and I’d get a chance to see all of it. But God bless my mom. I’m a very different person than I was 10 years ago, than I was 15 years ago.”
Defying the concerns about his qualification to lead the Department of Defense, Hegseth maintained he was fit for the role. “But I’m also the right guy to be in the Pentagon to understand what our young water fighters are going through, what we send them to do, what we ask them to do, tour after tour after tour after tour. “
He asked, “Are we equipping them properly? Are they mentally prepared? Are we helping them on the way back? How are they transitioning? Were they used properly? I can speak to that because I’ve lived it, not from a general’s perspective, not from an air conditioned office in Washington, DC, or from a think tank, from dusty boots and pulling triggers with bullets whizzing by and you’re wondering whether you’re ever coming home.”
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Watch Hegseth below:
Users on social media praised Hegseth after he addressed the rumors about him. “Beautifully done. *STANDING OVATION*. When he gets in (did not say ‘if’) our troops will be prepared, safer, and stronger on their return home. Our nation will be well protected. God speed and bless, Mr. Hegseth,” one person wrote.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video,